


cœurs à louer

by amberg93



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - No Bending (Avatar TV), Fake Marriage, Fake/Pretend Relationship, M/M, Miscommunication, Mutual Pining, Sokka is an employee at said company who just needs some extra cash, THERE WAS ONLY ONE BED, Zuko owns a company he's trying to sell, bed sharing, inspired by Borrowed Hearts tho, it's a wintertime romcom ya'll, there's no actual Christmas being celebrated, they're both single dads
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-29
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-10 01:02:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 57,794
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27785686
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amberg93/pseuds/amberg93
Summary: When an investor comes to stay with Zuko he finds himself in need of a husband that he doesn't have. So, he does what anyone would do in such a situation, hires one.Inspired by Borrowed Hearts.__If the way that the emotions played out across the other man's face was any indication of his acting skill, Zuko wasn't sure that he'd even be a good fit. “I don't think that-”“Azula, let him go,” Zuko cut in. “I'm so sorry about her. This isn't your problem.”She ignored him, as per usual. “We'll pay you two thousand dollars.”Now he paused, suddenly looking more interested. “Two thousand dollars? For what, exactly?”“There was a misunderstanding about Zuko's family life and he is in rather urgent need of a more picture perfect family to impress a potential investor,” Azula condensed the situation. “We just need someone to stay at the house and act like a husband. You know, be waiting for him when he gets there, hold hands, blah blah blah. You'd have the days off of work, paid fully.”
Relationships: Sokka/Zuko (Avatar), past Sokka/Yue
Comments: 303
Kudos: 425





	1. water damage and a deal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I was watching Borrowed Hearts the other night with my wife and went... what if I made it Zukka though? 
> 
> Obviously, there are some changes made here for the sake of the story including Izumi already being Zuko's daughter and making some creative choices as to who is who here. Not to mention that there isn't going to be any Christmas celebrated in the fic but it will be winter time and some other holidays will be mentioned.
> 
> Also, I set things in Montreal because I live in Montreal and I figured, why not. That means there are random French things thrown in here and there but they're minor and if you want it there are translations at the end of each chapter. The title is part of the French title for the movie and it means Hearts for Rent.

As if the holiday season wasn't busy enough normally for Zuko he was in the midst of a large deal at work. The largest deal of his entire career, actually. It meant spending more time away from home than he wanted to, much more. Getting home after dark in December wasn't exactly uncommon, what with the sun deciding to set around 4:30 every Montreal afternoon.  
  


Yet, it was after 8:00 by the time he even left his office today and although the traffic had cleared considerably compared to when he left around 5:00 and the highways were clogged with commuters heading back to Laval or the South Shore or wherever they lived on the island itself, it was still another twenty before Zuko had his car parked in the garage and was making his way upstairs.  
  


Perhaps that was the reason for his cold reception from Izumi when he arrived back home that day. Usually he got along very well with his teenager, it had been the two of them her whole life, after all and he liked to think that they were close. Today though, instead of greeting him with a smile she didn't bother looking up from her phone when he entered the room, seemingly ignoring him.  
  


“Hi Zumi, sorry I'm late,” he apologized once he'd gotten his coat, shoes and winter gear put away. “Work was crazy today.”  
  


“Sure. Ty Lee left your plate in the microwave,” she answered coolly, gesturing toward the kitchen. Ty Lee was their cook and although she was definitely gone home by now, Zuko knew that the food was definitely going to be amazing. “I was too hungry to wait for you.”  
  


He sighed, debating on trying to explain that he really had tried to get out on time tonight because he did know that Izumi was unhappy with how much he'd been preoccupied lately. It didn't help, he knew, that in a few days he'd be flying over to Hong Kong where he was set to meet up with the buyer for his technology company. He'd thought about bringing Izumi along but she had classes and it wasn't like he was going to have a lot of free time while there anyway. These were conversations that they'd already had though and he didn't see the point in rehashing them.  
  


“Anything exciting happen at school today?” he tried.  
  


Now she looked up to hit him with an unimpressed stare. “I need to shower,” she stood and walked upstairs with a bit more force than necessary but Zuko was far too tired to tell her off for it.  
  


He loved his daughter with all of his heart but sometimes the stress of running a company while being a single father was overwhelming. When he talked to his uncle about it, he always gave some proverb about the gift of children being worth every struggle. When he talked to Azula about it, she told him that she'd warned him when he decided to adopt Izumi without a partner that he'd end up feeling this way. When he talked to Mai about it, she told him that he was doing better than her parents or his had ever done. The last one was at least true, but it was a very low bar to set.  
  


As he pushed the button on the microwave to reheat the dinner, a delicious looking stir-fry, he stared out the window into the dark Canadian night and hoped that the deal could be finished swiftly and without further hassle. He was more than ready for things to be over with.  
  


–  
  


Off the South Shore, Sokka was having a much worse night than he'd had in a long while. Standing out in the cold with Varrick as firefighters exited their home and he tried to explain to the police officer what had caused the fire to start in the first place while at the same time trying not to sound like a negligent parent. Which, for the record, he wasn't.  
  


It was just that his son, crazy mad genius at all of eight years old, tended to like to experiment in. And while Sokka had insisted that he always be around when said experiments happened, and had also made clear rules about not using fire in any of those experiments... However, sometimes children went behind their parents back while they were making dinner and stole matches that they used to make fire in their attempt to combine different materials.  
  


Sometimes, that led to a fire. Sometimes, that fire rapidly spread without a proper source to put it out. Sometimes, said child thought they could handle the fire themselves but could not get to the fire extinguisher in time so the fire safety sprinkler went off and put it out instead – which, while preferable to the alternative, meant that water damage was now an issue to contend with.  
  
After a few firefighers had finished their check to make sure that the fire was completely out and that there was no immediate structural damage and the police finished their questioning, the father and son were left alone.  
  


Technically, they were advised not to go back into the house for the night so Sokka was already texting Suki to ask if they could go and crash at her place.  
  


“ _Bonne soiree_!” Varrick waved to the police car as it pulled away and then looked to his dad. “Dad, I'm really sorry. I didn't think that it was going to get out of control like that.”  
  


Sokka looked away from his phone, kneeling down to be face to face with his son. “Varrick, I know that you didn't mean for this to happen. But that doesn't mean that what you did was okay. You could have gotten very hurt. I make rules for you for a reason and the reason is that I don't want to see you getting hurt. You knew that you weren't allowed to use fire and while I'm so glad that you're okay, I'm going to have to ground you.”  
  


“Aww but Dad,” Varrick whined, trying to give a wide eyed look to get himself off the hook.  
  


“No buts, Varrick, you know the rules,” Sokka said firmly. He wasn't always the most stern of parents but he knew when he had to hold the line.  
  


“ _Calice,_ ” the young boy muttered under his breath, showing off the French that Sokka was certain he wasn't learning from his teachers.  
  


Sokka got distracted from telling him off by the feeling of his phone buzzing in his hand. A glance at it showed that Suki was calling, so he stood up and answered. “Hey Suki.”  
  


“Are you okay?” her voice was clear on the other end of the line, worry coloring her tone.  
  


“We're fine. The fire is out and Varrick didn't get hurt in any way. It's just the water damage we'll have to deal with and the firefighters suggested that we spend the night away to give the place a bit of air.”  
  


“You know you're welcome to stay here. I'll get the pullout set up for you.” Already he could hear her shuffling around, probably making sure that everything they'd need for the stay was clean. “Have you eaten?”  
  


“No. I was in the process of making dinner when everything went down,” Sokka sighed, his stomach grumbling at the reminder that it was empty.  
  


“I'll whip something up for the two of you then,” Suki assured him.  
  


“Thanks Suks, you're the best,” he gave a smile that she wouldn't see.  
  


“I know.” Her bright laugh rang out. “Anyway, just come right in when you get here.”  
  


“Will do. See you soon.” Hanging up, Sokka looked at Varrick again, who was now sitting on the stairs, looking out at the dark sky. “Okay, bud, I'm gonna run inside and get some things for us to take to Suki's for tonight. She'll feed us when we get there.”  
  


“Don't forget my backpack,” Varrick told him.  
  


“Buddy, I'm not bringing anything out of your room. It's covered with water.” All of the work inside was probably ruined and the school books. Sokka prepared himself for the note that he'd have to write to the teacher about all of this.  
  


“My backpack is by the back door. I already finished my homework so I put it there for tomorrow.” That was the system but usually Sokka didn't check it until he was going to bed.  
  


“Oh, okay. I won't.”  
  


Heading inside Sokka was grateful that at least the set up of things meant that only Varrick's room and part of the hallway were water damaged because it would be a lot less that needed to be replaced. He was able to stop into his own room and grab out clothes, his work laptop and a suitcase, then the bathroom where he could get hygiene items for the both of them.  
  


His own laziness also came back to be helpful for once because there was a load of laundry in the dryer that he'd been putting off folding that held clothes for Varrick to wear over the next few days. He didn't bother folding them now either, just quickly stuffed them all into the suitcase.  
  


Then it was just a matter of getting himself and Varrick over to Suki's place. She lived in a one bedroom on the island and while Sokka usually took public transit on the island (why wouldn't he when parking in the city was a mess and his work was actually connected via underground tunnel to the metro station saving him from harsh winter wind?) he knew that he'd have to get up extra early tomorrow to drive Varrick to school back on the South Shore.  
  


Sokka owned the spare set of keys to Suki's place, so when he did arrive and they made the trek up the winding outside stairs that he had to remind Varrick to be careful on multiple times he headed straight inside. Varrick got out of his shoes first and set his backpack next to the door while Suki came to greet them.  
  


“Hey, hope you two are hungry because dinner is ready,” she said with a smile.  
  


Sokka nodded gratefully. “Thanks Suki, I'm starved.” Even so, he brought the suitcase over to the corner where he knew it would be out of the way before he allowed himself to take a seat at the small round table where three plates were already set out.  
  


Varrick explained where his experiment went wrong over the meal and got promptly scolded again for using fire in the first place. The boy had at least the sense to look mildly guilty about breaking the rules but he pushed past all the scolding to explain his experiment in further detail and what he was hoping to accomplish with it.  
  


It was only after Sokka had dismissed Varrick to go take a shower before getting ready for bed that Sokka was able to sit and talk to Suki.  
  


“How are you doing?” she asked, reaching over to pat his hand sympathetically.  
  


“Badly,” Sokka groaned, letting his head fall onto the table. “I love this kid more than my whole life, but I swear I have no clue how to keep him from blowing up the entire house.”  
  


“I mean, we both knew that any child of yours was going to be a hand full.”  
  


“Why couldn't he have taken after Yue?” he asked, a whine entering his voice.  
  


“If I remember correctly, she was very proud that he was so much like you,” Suki stated mater of factly. She was right. Yue, when she'd still been alive while Varrick was a toddler, had very proudly shown off many pictures of Sokka and his son side by side and drew comparisons between them frequently. Such a comment might have hurt a while ago, but Sokka was past every mention of his wife bringing only pain.  
  


Now Sokka looked up at Suki seriously. “I worry he's gonna hurt himself for real one of these times.”  
  


“He's a smart kid,” she said soothingly. “And you're a good dad. Don't be so hard on yourself. Though maybe do start searching him for flammable items in the future.”  
  


“I don't see what other choice I've got,” he grumbled. He should have known a simple rule wouldn't stop his son's scientific curiosity.  
  


“That's the spirit,” Suki grinned. “Now, I think I heard the shower go off so come on and help me with these dishes since I made you food.”  
  


Given the fact that Sokka was imposing on her hospitality and Suki did not have a dishwasher he figured that it was the least that he could do to help her out.  
  


Spending the night on a pullout couch with his son meant that Sokka didn't exactly get the best night of sleep ever, but he did still manage to get some. Enough that by the time the alarm went off he was able to drag himself out of bed, into the bathroom and get himself ready before making Varrick do the same.  
  


Leaving the island this early in the day wasn't a problem, he knew the trouble would be on his return so he went ahead and followed his usual routine that morning, leaving his car in the parking lot outside the metro stop closest to his home before hopping on the train and starting his daily commute. Usually he spent it listening to podcasts but today he was looking up estimates on what it would cost to fix the water damage that was done to his place.  
  


What he found wasn't encouraging. It wasn't like he just had a few thousand dollars that he could just throw down at a moment's notice.  
  


Shit. What was he going to do?

–

As most mornings had been going lately, Zuko spent the first part of his day in a meeting with the higher ups of the company as they talked about how much outsourcing would be done when they closed the deal.  
  


Azula followed him to his office once the daily meeting was over. She was second in command and while at one point that had caused them some tension they were now at the place where they worked like a well oiled machine together. “Zuko, I'm just saying that telling the employees now, before anything is finalized is a mistake. Some of them will still be needed here and we don't want them to be jumping ship before we can assure them that they should stay.”  
  


“I don't know. I just feel like-”  
  


The conversation was paused as Azula held up her hand toward her brother, bringing her ringing phone to her ear. “This is Azula. Oh, Mr. Piandao, it's very nice to hear from you, sir. What? Here?”  
  


Zuko's head wiped toward Azula, raising a questioning eyebrow toward her.  
  


Azula simply waved her hand toward Zuko, dismissing his questions. “No, of course. It's no problem at all. Yes, my brother and his husband will be happy to have you.”  
  


“Husband!?” Zuko squeaked out, looking outraged. Did his sister just say that he had a husband? There was no way that she'd said that.  
  


With a glare, she covered the bottom of her phone and hissed at Zuko, “Be quiet!” Then she moved her hand away and forced a smile back onto her face.“Yes, we will see you then. Thank you, sir. You as well.”  
  


“What the hell was that, Azula?” he demanded as soon as the call was disconnected.  
  


“Oh calm down, Zuzu. I told Mr. Piandao that you had a husband because when I visited him last month he started talking about his own husband and to just say you were gay was a bit anti-climatic, so I gave you a husband,” she explained in an almost bored fashion.  
  


“You didn't have to do that! I'm sure being gay was a good enough thing for us to have in common.” The idea that he now had to lie to the man when he saw him was making his stomach hurt. He'd never been a good liar.  
  


“Don't assume that because he has a husband he's gay,” Azula shot back. “But it doesn't matter anyway, we'll just hire some guy to pretend to be your husband while he's staying with you.”  
  


“Wait, wait, wait. We're doing what? He's coming here? You invited him to stay in my house?! Azula! This is a disaster!” He was going to have a stranger staying with him, which was bad enough by itself but now because of his sister's lies he was going to have to hire a fake husband? Izumi was going to be furious and she would have a right to.  
  


“Take some deep breaths, don't over excite yourself,” Azula sat down in one of the chairs in front of Zuko's desk. “It's only for two days so he can see the company in person.” In her hand she was already furiously typing away on her phone. “I'm sending out feelers to actors in the area already and we'll see them this afternoon to find you a suitable fake husband. All you have to do is act nice in front of him and let him stay in one of your many guest bedrooms.”  
  


“Or we could tell him that my husband and I are split up.”  
  


“Why don't we just tell him that your sister is a liar?”  
  


Zuko took his own seat and put his head down onto the desk with a groan. Wondering why things had gotten so complicated and what he'd done to deserve this.  
  


–

It was a normal work day for Sokka, or as normal as it could be when he was also trying to figure out how he was supposed to fit repairing his house into his budget. Luckily, he didn't have any pressing projects right now so it wasn't as big a deal as it could have been.  
  


When his phone answered, he picked it up and expected to hear the voice of one of his co-workers on the other end. “You've got Sokka.”  
  


“ _Monsieur Qaqqaq?_ ”  
  


Sokka sat up instantly, recognizing the voice of his son's teacher. “ _Oui, c'est moi._ ”  
  


And that was how, twenty minutes later Sokka was walking out of the metro to get his car instead of taking his lunch break because it turned out that today Varrick had decided that he was going to smuggle a mouse inside of the classroom after recess and had been refusing to let it back outside because he wanted to bring it home.  
  


“You can't just bring mice inside, Varrick,” Sokka explained tiredly as he drove back to the metro. Luckily he knew that his son would be able to hang out in his office without any trouble, especially because he had a book for him there.  
  


“Mice are the perfect animals for science!” the child argued passionately, unbuckling his seatbelt as they parked.  
  


“You are not doing live animal experiments, Varrick. Especially not with a poor mouse that you found outside!” Silently, Sokka looked up at the sky and wished Yue was around to talk some sense into their son.  
  


“I don't see why not.”  
  


“Because that's not how we do things. We're ethical in our experiments.”  
  


“But we use mice to test medications on to make sure they're safe for humans.”  
  


Sokka could feel a headache coming on. “You are not testing medications and we are done with this conversation. Now come on, I've got to get you a ticket.”  
  


Varrick tried to argue his rights to do experiments on mice for the whole trip back to Sokka's office and each time Sokka shot him down, telling him that there was no way that he'd be allowed to do any animal experiments even if (as Varrick pointed out) he wasn't planning on hurting them.  
  


When they were safely back in his office, he sat his son down on his chair. “Please stay here. I'm going to run to the cafe across the street and grab us both some food.”  
  


“Okay, dad,” Varrick answered, pulling out his homework and starting on it.

–

This was embarrassing and uncomfortable, Zuko decided as he sat in a conference room where a fairly handsome man sat across the table as he auditioned for the 'role' of Zuko's fake husband. He wasn't quite Zuko's type, if he were being honest, and his facial hair could use a shave but it wasn't like he had the room to be picky.  
  


“Now, Hahn, run us through how you'd greet Zuko on his return from home,” Azula commanded. “Zuko, stand up.”  
  


With a sigh, he did as his sister suggested while the other man came over and gave him a hug and a kiss on the cheek. Zuko flinched away as he did so, feeling strange but he tried to plaster a smile on as the other man gave him a grin.  
  


“Hi honey,” Hahn slipped an arm around Zuko's waist and nuzzled himself into the other man's neck. “How was your day? I missed you.”  
  


Azula made a bit of a face as Zuko tried not to cringe away from how awkward this was. “Okay, stop.”  
  


Hahn pulled back, looking over to Azula. “Something different? Maybe a bit more like we're in the honeymoon stage?”  
  


“No!” Zuko exclaimed quickly, not wanting to think about what that would entail.  
  


“It's not working. You're dismissed,” Azula gave a short nod in the direction of the door and then turned back to her brother as Hahn took his leave with a shrug. “Zuko, you need to loosen up. It's just two days of pretend.”  
  


“Okay well maybe I don't want to pretend, did you think of that, Azula? Can't we just say that my husband is out of town or something?” It was a thought he'd been tossing around. Lying wouldn't be easy but at least that wouldn't require acting too.  
  


“Sure, cause that wouldn't look suspicious at all,” she snorted sarcastically.  
  


“I just-” Zuko cut himself off as the head of a child poked into the open door, looking around curiously. He was a small boy, probably around nine if Zuko had to guess. He had dark tan skin, black hair and brown eyes and a look on his face of calculation.  
  


“What is a kid doing here?”  
  


Hearing an acknowledgment of his presence, said kid looked up at the adults and waved, giving a bright smile that Zuko had a feeling he usually used to get out of trouble. “Hello!”  
  


Now it was Zuko's turn to hold a hand up to Azula, making his way over to the child and getting down to his level. It was something that he used to do with Izumi when she was younger, not wanting to seem like he was talking down to her. “Hi, who might you be?”  
  


“I'm Varrick. My dad works here but I just wanted to see what the rest of the place looked like,” he answered, looking past Zuko and over to Azula with a questioning gaze.  
  


“Where is your dad?” Zuko couldn't imagine who in the world let their kid wander around unsupervised but he'd have some words with them.  
  


“Varrick? Varrick Iknik!” a man's voice was whisper shouting down the hall, clearly trying not to disturb anyone.  
  


“I'm over here!” Varrick didn't have any qualms about being loud it seemed because he stuck his head out into the hall and waved toward his father.  
  


The man that entered the room was gorgeous and Zuko found himself staring for a moment, not having moved out of his crouching position. The tall, muscular man had dark tan skin and bright brown eyes, an angular face with cheekbones that seemed like they could cut glass. His dark hair was pulled into a sort of pony tail that left the undercut sides bare. Zuko remembered seeing him around the office now and again but he hadn't really ever interacted with him before.  
  


Upon realizing just who was in the room with his son, his face pulled into a mildly panicked look. “I am so sorry, Mr. Sozin and Ms. Sozin. I just had to run to grab some food and I told him to stay in his seat and he really just got here because something came up with his school and-” he was rambling, but he had a nice voice.  
  


Zuko stood and shook his head, offering a smile. “It's okay,” he said softly. “He didn't interrupt anything important.  
  


Unbeknownst to him Azula was watching the interaction with interest and she moved herself closer. With a look over of him she seemed to reach an agreeable conclusion. “Would you be available for an acting job?”  
  


“I'm- what?” The confusion that overtook the man's face was complete and he looked a bit broken, as if the question had rattled his mind.  
  


“An acting job,” she repeated. “You and your son, actually. Yes, a son would make things better.”  
  


“Azula!” Zuko exclaimed, horrified at the fact that she was even trying to suggest this right now.  
  


“Uh- Ms. Sozin I know you probably don't know this about me, but I'm a software engineer, not an actor.” Zuko felt bad about the way that the poor man shifted on his feet, clearly looking for an out.  
  


“Details.” Azula was doing that thing she did, where she made completely valid points seem as if they had no baring on the conversation. “Listen, we're in a bit of a bind and we need someone to pretend to be the husband and son of Zuko here.”  
  


If the way that the emotions played out across the other man's face was any indication of his acting skill, Zuko wasn't sure that he'd even be a good fit. “I don't think that-”  
  


“Azula, let him go,” Zuko cut in. “I'm so sorry about her. This isn't your problem.”  
  


She ignored him, as per usual. “We'll pay you two thousand dollars.”  
  


Now he paused, suddenly looking more interested. “Two thousand dollars? For what, exactly?”  
  


“There was a misunderstanding about Zuko's family life and he is in rather urgent need of a more picture perfect family to impress a potential investor,” Azula condensed the situation. “We just need someone to stay at the house and act like a husband. You know, be waiting for him when he gets there, hold hands, blah blah blah. You'd have the days off of work, paid fully.”  
  


Zuko wanted to disappear right now because this was going to get around the office and no one was going to respect him again because they thought he lied about being married to look better to investors which wasn't even fair because he wasn't the one who had put himself in the situation to begin with.  
  


“Anything else expected out of me?” The man was eyeing Azula suspiciously, as if she wasn't being entirely truthful.  
  


“Nothing inappropriate for your child to see if that's what you're worried about.”  
  


By this point, Zuko was starting to turn red, not just because the other man was very attractive but because he was being spoken of as if he wasn't there. If he were being honest though, the idea of being pulled into his arms was actually very nice if he were honest. But no, no, he still couldn't have an employee do this before he could voice his objections again the man had turned to his son.  
  


“Dad, take the money. I can pretend to have two dads for two days,” Varrick spoke before anything could be asked of him.  
  


Watching the look that passed between father and son, Zuko wasn't sure what was going to happen but then the man straightened again and looked to Zuko for a second before he looked back to Azula. What was going through his mind, he had no clue but he felt like there was a chance he might actually take the deal.  
  


“Alright, I'm in.”  
  


Spirits above, Zuko wasn't sure if he should be grateful or worried.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well here we go, let me know what everyone thinks. 
> 
> As promised here are the brief translations for the French expressions in the chapter:
> 
> Bonne soiree = good evening 
> 
> Calice = Damn it (it's the closest approximate)
> 
> Oui, c'est moi = Yes, that's me
> 
> If you wanna you can go follow me on tumblr @ambykinns


	2. backstories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sokka answers questions about his decision. Zuko tells Izumi about the plan. Sokka shows up to start building his fake marriage.

"You agreed to do what?" Suki was looking at Sokka as if he were crazy. Then again, maybe he was. But, truthfully, pretending to be married to his boss so that he could make a couple thousand dollars and help the owner of his company out of a tricky situation wasn't the worst thing that he'd ever done. 

"It's not that big of a deal." Sokka was in the midst of filling his plate, having been back to his house to check out the damage done in more detail. "I just have to be at his house for when he gets home and pretend to the investor that he's in a happy, healthy, gay marriage." 

"You know what part of a happy, healthy marriage is for most people right?" 

"Are you talking about sex?" Varrick spoke up suddenly, his mouth full of chicken. 

"Don't talk with your mouth full," Sokka admonished, although he was guilty of the same thing from time to time. "And don't talk about sex."

"I thought you said it was a normal thing for adults to do." The matter of fact way that his son spoke showed that he wasn't even being difficult on purpose.

This kid was going to be the death of him. Suki wasn't helping, she could barely contain the giggle that threatened to escape her. "It is, but you're too young to be talking about it. And it is definitely not a concern for this. It's only two nights. There's no reason anyone could be suspicious about that sort of gap even if the weirdo was trying to listen for it." He doubted that would be a problem though. "Besides, I'd be an idiot to say no to two grand right now. Turns out water damage is expensive."

"Who'd've thought?" Suki questioned dryly. "But you're right, even without water damage that's kind of an amazing gig. When do you start?"

"Tomorrow I've got to go over to meet with him and get our story straight, that and bring pictures of Varrick that can go up around the house." 

"And they're just letting you take the time paid to do this?" 

Sokka nodded as he chewed through his bite, not wanting to talk with his mouth full after just telling Varrick off for it. "Something about technically still working? I'm just glad I don't have any projects that require me to work with anyone right now cause I'm sure they'd be upset that I'm off getting paid for not doing my job." 

"I think that's an understatement. I do wish I could see you pretending to be house husband to some stuck up CEO though," Suki sighed whistfully. "Is he old? Are you supposed to be a trophy husband?" 

"He's not old," Sokka argued. "He's probably my age. And I don't know, maybe? They said we'd discuss a story tomorrow." 

"I get to be the son!" Varrick exclaimed happily. "I've decided I'll call him Papa." 

"Is he Quebecois?" Suki asked. 

"Hell if I know. He speaks English around the office and he didn't seem to have an accent. I think I remember that his family is originally from Japan? Not sure how recent the move to Canada was though," Sokka shrugged. "Papa is fine. I'll let him know tomorrow." 

Suki had pulled out her phone and let out a whistle as she looked up from it. "You didn't say that he was attractive though." She turned the phone around to show a picture of Zuko. "Rich and good looking, makes you wonder why he needs to hire a husband."

"He's alright." Sokka went for indifference. Suki fixed him with a look that said she knew better. "Fine, he's hot." 

"Gross," Varrick wrinkled his nose in disgust, pausing the fork raised to his face. 

"It doesn't matter anyway. It's not my job to ask why he doesn't have a real husband. I'm just doing this for the money so that I don't have to wipe out our savings account to fix the house," Sokka reasoned. After Yue had passed away their savings hadn't ever really recovered and he didn't want to dip into them if he could avoid it. 

Suki gave him a bit of a look that said she didn't quite agree with him but she apparently was willing to drop it. At least for the time being, but Sokka had a feeling that once Varrick was not around things would change. 

Good thing his son was going to be around the rest of the night 

-

Given the news that Zuko had to deliver to his daughter, he made sure that he was going to be home on time for dinner. In fact, he even got there a bit early, much to the surprise of Ty Lee who brightened when he walked into the kitchen to get himself a glass of water.

"Oh, Zuko! It's nice to see you, it's been a while," she commented, setting down the knife that she'd been using to chop up some vegetables.

"I've been very busy at the office," he explained, feeling a bit guilty as he did so. 

"Yes, Mai did say that you were preparing for the sale." 

Mai was Zuko's best friend and the one who had recommended Ty Lee to him in the first place when he'd mentioned that he was looking for a private chef. For him it meant that it was hard to hide anything that went on from either of them, which usually he didn't mind but now it meant that even though he probably would have told Mai about Azula's scheme eventually she'd end up finding out about it from Ty Lee even if he wanted to hide it for a bit longer. 

"About that. I know I was supposed to be going away in a few days but there's been a change of plans. The buyer is actually going to be coming here instead. I hate to ask it but do you think it'll be a bother to prepare a few extra portions for some meals for a couple of days?" Zuko knew that he could have likely just told Ty Lee what he'd need but he didn't like assuming she'd be up for work she wasn't advised of in advance. "Azula volunteered my place for him to stay."

"An extra mouth to feed? It won't be a problem, Zuko. Thank you for asking though," Ty Lee smiled. "And I'm sure Izumi is going to be pleased that you're not going away after all. She's been awfully down about how much you've been working lately."

"Yeah, I know," he sighed. "And it won't just be one extra mouth, actually. It'll be three."

This didn't seem to phase his cook. "Does he have partners he's bringing with him?" 

"Not exactly... we're just going to be having some extra guests staying with us. I'll explain everything to you tomorrow. I wanted to talk to Izumi about it first." That and he didn't want to expect a call from Mai later tonight to demand all the details. 

"Okay, sure," she shrugged and turned her attention to the stove as the home alarm beeped indicating someone entering. "Sounds like she's home." 

"Sounds like it," he agreed, downing the glass of water and putting it into the dishwasher before going to greet his daughter. Might as well get everything over with. When he walked out into the living room area Izumi glanced up in surprise. 

"You're home early," she said, somewhat suspiciously. 

"I wanted to make up for how much I've been working lately," he began because it was true. Her supsicious look didn't fade, so he reluctantly continued. "And I had something that I wanted to talk to you about."

"Ah, there it is." Her arms crossed against her stomach and she raised an eyebrow. 

"Zumi, please, let's sit down." He took her hand and guided her to the couch and suddenly a touch of worry crept into her features. 

"Did something happen to someone? Did something happen to Uncle Iroh?"

"What? No. He's fine. We're going to see him over New Years like we always do." She relaxed slightly, seemingly reassured by his words. "I've just got some updates about the work situation. For instance, I'm no longer traveling to Hong Kong next week." 

"What, are you going tomorrow or something?" she questioned sarcastically. Maybe Zuko let her spend too much time around Mai and Azula. 

"Actually, the investor is coming here instead. Your aunt volunteered to let him stay with us, so he'll be spending Monday and Tuesday night here next week, leaving Wednesday while you're at school," he explained. 

"So you're bringing your work home with you?" 

"Izumi, as soon as this deal is done I'll have sold the company and I'll be around a lot more." Zuko had told her this time and again. It was his main reason for selling - well besides the fact that he didn't particularly enjoy being in the business world and Azula had suffered a burnout a few years back that had woken her up to the fact that she didn't want the pressures of running a company by herself either. 

"Okay, fine. Is that all you wanted to tell me?" She didn't look pleased and Zuko wished that he could go back to simpler days when the promise of spending more time with her was enough to make her happy. Times when she wanted to be just the two of them and he was her favorite person in the world. She'd grown up though and there was no going back to those lost days. 

"Not quite," he swallowed and tried to figure out how he was supposed to explain what had happened. "It seems when your aunt was visiting Mr. Piandao she led him to believe that I had a husband." 

Izumi snorted and then her face fell. "Wait, you're not saying-"

"A gentleman named Sokka and his son, Varrick, will also be staying with us and uh... I was hoping that you could pretend that they were your dad and brother?" his voice got smaller through the explanation. 

"Are you kidding me right now?" she demanded, her voice loud in the room. He shook his head. A series of low swear words left her mouth, some in English, some in Japanese and some in French. "What, was I not enough of a family for your image?"

Horrified, Zuko stood quickly and reached to take her hands. Never had it crossed his mind that Izumi might read into this as a problem with her. He wasn't always the best at expressing his emotions but he tried his hardest to make sure that she knew that she meant everything to him. "What? Honey, no. Of course you are!" he hurried to explain. "Azula already lied to him though and I couldn't just tell him that my second in command is a liar." She didn't answer but at least she wasn't still telling him off. "It was just supposed to be a fake husband, honest, but then during the auditions this boy wandered in and his dad came to find him and your aunt offered him the job. I asked her if we couldn't just pretend my husband was out of town. I am so sorry if it sounded any other way, but you have to know that you are and always will be the best part of my life."

Maybe it was because Izumi was used to Azula's antics or maybe it was just the spirits smiling down on Zuko but Izumi nodded stiffly after a moment. "Fine," she snapped icily. "I'll be a part of your act. But you owe me, dad."

"Of course, sweetie. I promise that I'll make this up to you." How he was supposed to do that he wasn't sure. Maybe the two of them could go on a father/daughter trip somewhere? A weekend at Mount Tremblant to do some skiing? Or maybe out to Banff? He'd call the travel agent and try to get something set up for next month. It would be a lot easier to quality time together when they were actually alone and away from home. 

"I'm holding you to that." Then, she turned away from him and made her way upstairs with a bit more force than necessary. 

Zuko settled back onto the couch and tried to take a calming breath. One part of this was done, at least and it could have gone worse.

\--

The next day, Sokka let out a low whistle as he pulled into the driveway of the house he was told to meet the Sozin siblings at. He should have expected that his boss would live in some million dollar Westmount home on the mountain but thinking of something and actually seeing it were two different things. Looking at the house from the outside it seemed much larger than a family of two warranted but rich people always did have to take things to extremes. 

He'd dressed as if he were going into the office, figuring that showing up in jeans and a sweatshirt was probably not what would be expected out of him. Even so, as he rang the doorbell he couldn't help but wonder what sort of changes he would have to make to play the part of Mr. Sozin. 

The door swung open to reveal Zuko, standing in a pair of slacks and a dress shirt that was a dark red. He looked nice, not that such a thing was unusual. Despite the large scar on the side of his face, it was hard to deny how attractive he was. "Mr. Qaqqaq, thank you for coming. Please, take off your shoes and come in." 

"Not a problem," Sokka answered, doing just that and turning to hang his coat on the coat hook that he saw beside the door. "Though, if we're supposed to be married, I think you can probably call me Sokka."

"Right, of course," Zuko nodded, shifting his weight from one leg to another. 

"Or, I guess sweetie," the other man continued, glancing around the entry area with some interest. "Babe. Honey. Darling. Whatever you'd go for." Looking back at Zuko he could see a light flush coloring his pale cheeks. 

"Sokka is fine," he answered quickly, his voice the same raspy low register that it always was. He looked like he might be ready to say something else but then Azula swept into the room. 

"Good, you're here." She was dressed for a day at the office as well and although she was smaller than usual without her heels, she still carried herself in a way that made it seem like she was imposing and powerful. Her size was almost at odds with the fierceness that burned through her even on a day like today. "Let's take you on a tour first and we can start building your backstory." 

Sokka nodded because he didn't see what else there was to do as he was led first to the living room, then the kitchen, dining room, a small bathroom and- "Wait, is that an elevator?" He couldn't help the shock. 

Both siblings turned to eye him. "Yes," Zuko answered, somewhat uncertainly.

"Cool, cool, real cas," he muttered, wishing he could take out his phone and snap some photos to send to Suki because she was not going to believe this. 

"Basement has a laundry room, movie room and a part bath and connects into the garage," Azula listed off. "No reason to go down there now. Ground level below us-"

"I thought this was the ground level?" Sokka was confused. This was where he'd entered, wasn't it? 

"We're on a mountain," Azula pointed out with a roll of her eyes. "Technically, this is the second level. We'll head up to the third level now so that we can get a room set up for Varrick. The guest room where Mr. Piandao is staying is also there, so is Izumi's room. Plus a library and bathrooms for each of the rooms." 

"Where will I be sleeping?" Somehow, he had a feeling he knew the answer but as they took the staircase he wanted to have a more concrete one.

"You'll take my room," Zuko answered. "It's on the fourth floor. I'll sleep in my office which is also up on the fourth floor." 

"Is there a bed in your office?" Sokka asked confusedly. 

"No, there's a couch though and I can sleep on that." 

"Zuko, you've got a bed big enough to fit multiple people in. Why don't the two of you just share a bed? It's not like you have to spoon," Azula replied. "Here, this is the room we've decided can be Varrick's." 

Walking inside of it, Sokka looked around and frowned. It was a large room with a large bed in the center with wooden end tables on either side, the walls a stark white with some art work on them that was probably worth a great deal of money. A bookshelf was empty and a set of large closet doors were slid open revealing a very sizable closet. In one corner a glass table with an uncomfortable looking chair sat. Did they realize that his son wasn't even ten yet? 

When he turned back to the siblings they were looking at him expectantly. "Well?" Azula didn't seem to possess a lot of patience. 

He hesitated, trying to figure out how to say what he wanted to say without telling them that they had no sense of reality if they thought this was a room for a child. "Can I be real with you for a minute?" 

Azula looked less than pleased but Zuko nodded. "Please do," he said carefully. 

"Your home looks like no one lives in it. No offense," he added quickly. "It's just- a child would definitely not be comfortable in a room like this. It's so bland and cold. It doesn't seem fitting for a child and all their energy." Honestly, even Sokka wouldn't be comfortable in a room like this. It was too sterile. It looked like a white person's pinterest board of what rich people should decorate their house like. Where was the comfort? Where was the style? Where was the spice?

"Izumi's room was similar to this when she was younger," Zuko answered, looking a bit confused. "A bit more pink and some toys but I figured you could bring some toys in and it would make it seem more like a child's room."

Deciding now to go down the rabbit hole about whether or not Izumi's room would have been appropriate for a child, Sokka pushed on. "About that- we've had some... plumbing issues at my house." If a sprinkler being set off to stop a fire could be considered plumbing issues, he wasn't lying. "And there was water damage to most of Varrick's things just a couple of days ago. I haven't had time to go through all of them. I don't even know what I could bring."

"So we'll just buy him some things. Make a list of things that he likes and I'll send someone down to the Bay today. We'll get him some outfits and toys to put around," Azula was already in problem solving mode. "Maybe something to put on his walls to make it more 'kid friendly' or whatever if you really think it's a big deal." 

"That's really not necessary," Sokka began somewhat startled by the offer. "I think we'll just need to keep the door closed. I can't imagine that the guy will be coming into this room anyway." 

"Nonsense, I'm not taking any chances. I'm already sending my assistant. Just tell me what size he wears and I don't know, figure out some toys he'd like. I'm not going to leave anything up to chance. Now let's keep moving." 

So the tour continued.

\--

It turned out that showing a stranger around your house could actually be something that was uncomfortable, Zuko had come to realize. Maybe it was the fact that he'd always thought of his house as being very nice. Somewhere that people would be happy to stay, but Sokka didn't seem to think that way about it. In fact, when he looked around more often than not a light frown would come over his face. 

Cold. Impressional. Those were the words that Sokka used when describing his thoughts. Staged. And so what if his house was kept in amazing cleanliness due to his own personal preferences and the house keeper that they hired? So what if the minimalistic approach wasn't to Sokka's taste? Why did he even care what the other man thought? 

That wasn't a question that he had an answer to. 

Once the tour was over, they made their way back down to the dining room where they all took seats and Azula pulled out a notepad. "Okay, so here's what I've come up with for your story. I'd say that the two of you have been married probably ten years-"

"Actually," Sokka cut in. "I was thinking about this myself, about a timeline. I think we should go closer to two years."

"Two?" Azula cast the man a dubious look. 

"It's just, Varrick is a smart kid but he talks a lot. I'm not sure we can trust that he won't bring up his mother at some point or another."

For some reason the thought that Sokka might be married hadn't crossed his mind. "Are you married?" he asked before he could stop himself. He'd agreed to this but maybe it was with his wife's blessing. It made something in Zuko's stomach twist to think about pretending that someone else's husband was his. 

"Widowed."

A beat of heavy silence took and Zuko wasn't sure what to say. He could tell that Azula wasn't either. Neither of them were very good at comforting people. "I'm- that's awful."

"It happened four years ago," Sokka answered with a shrug, though his face was a bit less bright than it'd been earlier. "I've come to an acceptance for it. Don't worry. I just don't feel right trying to erase Varrick's mom, even for a couple of days."

Zuko was nodding as the other man spoke. "Of course. I wouldn't ask you to do that." He thought of the loss of his own mother, of how hard it'd been when he lived with his father and all traces of her were erased. He couldn't do that to a young boy even if it was just temporary. "We'll stick with the two years story. Varrick is a product of your first marriage. I adopted Izumi on my own years ago."

"Did you really?" Sokka asked, eyeing him curiously. 

"Yeah., she was five when I adopted her. I was a bit young to adopt by myself, but it worked out," Zuko gave a shrug of his own. A lot of people had thought him a bit crazy, adopting by himself but he had no regrets. His life with Izumi had been fantastic. 

"How are we going to explain the lack of wedding pictures?" Azula seemed to be on board with the changes that had been made. 

"We can just say we did a small courthouse ceremony," Sokka suggested. "Intimate. Only a few people there. Happened so quick we didn't get any photos." 

Truthfully, Zuko thought that might be his idea wedding in any case. If Azula hadn't said that they were married they could have just posed as common law partners. Marriage rates weren't exactly sky high in Quebec to begin with. "I'm fine with that." 

"Fine. For other photos, tomorrow bring by a few outfits so we can snap some pictures, get them printed out and put up. And we'll need some photos of Varrick to put up too." Azula seemed to have a checklist that she was reading off of. His sister was nothing if not meticulous. 

"I brought some with me, actually. They're down in my car."

It seemed that Sokka was well prepared. That didn't surprise Zuko. Yesterday he'd looked over the internal company information about the man. Every review spoke to how brilliant he was, his coworkers seemed to speak highly of him and his work was always well recieved. It seemed he was the type of man that could be trusted with important projects and it had Zuko breathing a little easier when he considered everything. A pretty face was nice but what this job required was someone that Zuko could count on to do his part. 

"So, we'll say honeymoon took place right after the wedding," Azula charged on. "The two of you went to Maui for a week after the wedding, had an amazing time. Went back the next year with the kids. Sokka, you're a stay at home husband-"

"Now, wait, why can't I still be a software engineer?" Sokka was wrinkling his nose, apparently not keen to be just a trophy husband. 

"Because, your job is to be good looking and waiting for Zuko when he returns." Maybe Zuko should have warned Sokka that Azula did not like to be challenged, especially when she already believed that she was the one in charge. At least Zuko was used to Azula's slightly condesending tone, but 

Sokka wasn't backing down though, in fact he looked at Azula's challengingly. "I'm more than just a pretty face, I'll have you know. I am not going to be able to pretend I moved down to Montreal in order to just land a wealthy husband and do nothing with my time."

"Perhaps," Zuko cut in, wanting to stop this before it got out of hand. He could already tell that the two of them would continue clashing heads until some sort of compromise was reached."We can say that Sokka is a freelance software engineer. That he wanted a more flexible schedule to be around more for the kids if they needed someone?" 

Begrudgingly, they each gave a nod of approval that had Zuko sighing in relief. Then Azula dove into details about how they supposedly met, who asked whom on a date, who proposed and where and when. Sokka took notes throughout it but Zuko knew that Azula was going to hand him a folder full of everything soon enough so he didn't bother. He was more of a visual learner anyway, so he'd make his own notes then. 

He hadn't realized how long things had been going until Ty Lee came out with lunch. When she got caught of Sokka she gave a large grin. "Well, you must be the new Mr. Sozin," she teased, setting down a plate full of vegetable curry in front of Zuko and Azula. "You're very handsome."

Sokka laughed as if a joke had been told, but Zuko didn't see what was so funny. "Does Mai know you go around telling guys they're attractive?" His tone was sharper than he'd expected it to be, but that was just because Mai was his best friend and he didn't like the idea of anything happening to her. 

"Oh Zuzu, calm down, Ty Lee isn't going to steal your husband," Azula smirked, shooting a knowing look to him that he didn't like because he didn't understand what the knowing look was for. 

"I was just making an observation," Ty Lee said, blinking her wide eyes innocently. "Would you like some curry too...?" 

Sokka took the trailing off to introduce himself. "Sokka," he smiled. "And I'd love some..."

"Ty Lee. Excellent, I'll bring you out a plate right now." In her usual manner, she turned on her heel and made her way back into the kitchen with a cheerful hum. 

As it turned out, Sokka was a very quick eater and a very appreciative one at that. He made a noise after the first bite that had Zuko looking at him in slight alarm as it didn't seem appropriate for company but Sokka apparently didn't notice as he just continued to eat the plate in front of him at a rapid rate. 

"You know, I think I've just found the best perk of this gig," he said once he'd finished, leaning back in his chair. "Definitely the cook."

"Ty Lee has a girlfriend," Zuko told him, frowning. Was he going to have to spend the time that Sokka was here worrying about the guy trying to make a move on his friend?

"Dude, I'm not talking about her like that," Sokka looked at Zuko as if he were a bit out of his mind. "I'm talking about her food. That curry was fantastic."

"Oh." A light heat filled his cheeks and Zuko looked down at the table, reaching for his glass for something to do. Now he felt a bit stupid. 

It wasn't his fault that he didn't know how to act around his fake husband, right? No one would know what to do in this situation. The table sat in silence, Azula's nails tapping against her cell phone screen the only sound to be heard until the woman stood abruptly. 

"Well, I've got work to do. The two of you should bond or something for a while," she ordered them. "Make it so that you can interact without seeming like you don't know each other."

"We don't know each other," Zuko pointed out. 

"And it shows. Fix it." With that she strode out of the dining room, apparently going to do whatever it was that she had to do. 

"She's kind of bossy," Sokka commented after some moments of silence had passed. 

"She's very dedicated and likes things to be done in a certain way," Zuko explained, trying to defend his sister even though he knew better than anyone just how intense she could be. It was her way of caring. She couldn't do anything by halves. 

"I noticed." There was a dryness to his tone now. "But we might as well start bonding. Tell me, what's your favorite movie?" 

Zuko was a bit taken aback by the question. "Uh, I'm not sure. I don't watch a lot of movies. I tend to prefer reading. But there's a movie that I used to watch with my mom growing up, it's a Japanese film called Sansho the Bailiff."

"Huh," Sokka stayed quiet for a moment. "I was kind of hoping for something that I'd seen so that we could talk about it, but uh- that's fine. Mine is Revenge of the Sith." 

Zuko looked at him. The title seemed somewhat familiar but he didn't know if he could place it fully. "Is that a..." Sith, sith... it sounded like a Star Wars thing maybe. "Star Wars movie?"

"Is that a- are you saying you've never seen Star Wars?" Sokka looked horrified. 

"I... no. I haven't gotten around to it. And I told you that I don't watch a lot of movies." There were certain things that people got hung up on him for not taking part of in pop culture and this wasn't the first time that someone had been upset about his missing the Star Wars franchise. 

"Absolutely not. We're gonna fix this right now," Sokka stood and held out his hand toward Zuko who stared at it. "Come on. Lead me to the tv so we can introduce you to Star Wars. You're old enough that someone needs to do it and I guess this is our bonding time. You can show me your favorite movie too."

So, Zuko let himself be taken to the basement where Sokka set up Disney+ on the television and pulled up the Star Wars series. He was already talking excitedly about the movies and Zuko had no idea what it was all about but he figured that if anything, he'd be able to tell Azula that he did learn something about Sokka. 

Seemed like he was kind of a nerd. Well that and his eyes kind of light up when he started talking about something he was passionate about, turning the brown a dazzling color that Zuko found himself drawn to.

Maybe he'd keep that last part to himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who has left kudos and has commented, it really brightens my day to see them. I hope that everyone is staying safe and that you've enjoyed this chapter.
> 
> Also if you're wondering what Zuko's house is like, I found one that is the inspiration here   
> [Zuko house](https://www.realtor.ca/real-estate/21879173/23-ch-edgehill-westmount)


	3. moving in

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sokka and Varrick arrive to start their stay with Zuko and Izumi. Piandao gets to Montreal.

Sokka had taken to texting Zuko in the few days before he needed to go to his house and pretend that he was his husband. Mostly, it was to create more ease between the two of them. Make their interactions more natural and more like people who actually knew each other. Of course, there was no way that they could build a bond that would be like they were actually involved for a few years over just a couple of days but he understood Zuko a bit better from talking to him. The guy was a devoted father, who loved talking about his daughter. A bit of a nerd, not up to date on popular culture and seemed to be very introverted. They swapped a few stories about their children, to give each of them more of an idea of what to expect when Sunday rolled around they were set to meet for the first time. It was still weird at times, considering that Zuko was his boss but Sokka was good at pushing past awkward situations. He'd caused enough of them over the years not to worry about being in them any longer. 

Sunday came around quickly and as Sokka loaded the suitcase that held clothes and a few of Varrick's more special belongings into the car, he found himself anxious. The way that he was before a big project needed to be presented. Not that there was anything riding on him in this case, it was Zuko who had to close whatever deal he was planning on making. Still, he found that as with any task he was assigned, he wanted to succeed at it. Varrick on the other hand, sat in the backseat with barely concealed excitement. 

"Did you know that I've been practicing?" his son asked. 

"Practicing what?" Sokka shot the boy a look in the rearview mirror. 

"Hello, my name is Varrick and this is my sister Izumi and my dad and my papa." There was pride in the way that he spoke, a bit too quick for most people probably but he held himself high. "See, I know exactly what to say. And I have a list of questions for Izumi." 

"A list of... buddy, I don't know that you should be planning on Izumi wanting to answer all your questions." Truthfully, from what Sokka could gleam of her from Zuko's stories she was an intelligent girl, perhaps prone to the same sorts of introversion that Zuko was and not always in the best of spirits. 

"The worst she can do is say no." Sometimes Sokka regretted teaching Varrick that sentiment because he had heard it once and suddenly decided that he was always going to ask for what he wanted even if sometimes it would have been better for him not to. 

"If she does, please don't ask her again." 

"I won't!" Then Varrick gave his most angelic smile and Sokka let out a small sigh as they turned onto the street that Zuko lived in. At this point all there was to do was hope that his son was telling the truth and that he didn't happen to set anything in Zuko's very expensive home on fire for the three nights that they were there. 

He parked his car in the driveway when he arrived, knowing that he'd have to move it into the garage and probably somewhere that wouldn't be seen (who would believe that the husband of a CEO would be driving a 10 year old Toyota Carola?) but right now it wasn't like he had the means to open the garage. As he grabbed the suitcase out of the back, Varrick eagerly made his way up to the front door. 

"This is a big house!" his son exclaimed and then, he opened the door and walked right in like he owned the place - much to Sokka's horror. 

"Varrick!" he called through clenched teeth as he quickly jogged up the stairs. "You can't just walk into someone's house like that!" 

Varrick turned from where he was standing as he got his shoes off, looking confused at his father. "Isn't it supposed to be our house?" 

"Yeah, but that's pretend. It's not actually our house!" This child was going to be the death of him. 

Just then, a teenage girl turned the corner into the entryway. She wore comfortable clothing and eyed them up and down with a blank face before turning to call back toward the direction that she'd come from. "Dad, your new family is here!" 

It was hard not for Sokka to cringe at the way that she said the words. Where Varrick was excited about this ruse, it seemed that Izumi was not. "Hello, you must be Izumi. It's a pleasure to meet you, I'm Sokka," he held out a hand to shake, closing the door behind him with his foot. 

"I've heard," she answered, looking at his hand but making no move to shake it.

"And I'm Varrick. I get to pretend to be your brother. Isn't that exciting?" Varrick flung his coat at Sokka, the bundle landing on Sokka's still outstretched arm. He moved closer to Izumi, smiling up at her and chatting animatedly. "I've always wanted a sibling but my mom died and my dad hasn't had any other people he's been in love with and so he hasn't given me one yet but now I get to have one for a couple days and that's fun." 

While Izumi was cool to Sokka, she was taken aback by Varrick, her eyes widening in surprise as she looked down at the child. Seemingly, she was at a loss of how to respond to his energetic greeting. 

Before she had to do so, Zuko came around the corner though. Despite it being a day off, it seemed that he still dressed what Sokka would consider business casual in most places. He wondered if the guy even owned a pair of jeans. "Sokka, Varrick, I'm glad you made it okay." 

"Hello again," Varrick stepped over to Zuko. "I'm ready to pretend to live here. It's a very big house. Why do you need such a big house if only the two of you live here?"

"Varrick.." Sokka spoke warningly to his son. 

Zuko rubbed the back of his neck, looking a bit uncomfortable. "I guess it is a lot of space for two people." 

"That's why it's a good thing we're staying with you. I've decided I'm gonna call you papa while we're here to pretend. My dad said you've got a whole room that gets to be mine? Can we go and see it?" 

"Sure," Zuko nodded, starting to the stairs. "Follow me. Sokka if you want to bring your things up, tonight you'll stay in the guest room by Varrick's." 

As they made their way upstairs, Sokka noticed there were photos up along the wall now where there hadn't been before. Little Izumi and littler Varrick stared up at them from frames in equal amounts. It looks like every single one of the photos that Sokka had provided were up.

When they did reach Varrick's room, Sokka blinked as he stepped inside. It looked like his suggestions had been taken seriously. There was new artwork on the walls, galaxy looking paintings that were right up Varrick's alley. On the desk was what seemed to be a science kit and the uncomfortable looking chair had a warm looking throw draped along the back of it. The bedding had been replaced too, to a softer blue color that didn't look so clinical and two stuffed animals sat on top of the pillows as well. Also, the bookshelf was filled with a large selection of books that were for about Varrick's age group (though that would mean they were easily below his comprehension levels) as well as some toys that sat on some of the shelves near the ends. Around the ceiling, there was strung a pair of twinkle lights that currently were off but a remote for them seemed to be on the bedside table. It was still a bit more mature than Varrick's room back home, but it did seem much more kid-friendly. 

"Wow, this is so cool!" Varrick immediately made his way for the bed and when he crawled onto it Sokka knew exactly what he was planning on doing before he could. 

"Do not jump on that bed," he warned Varrick, whose face scrunched up in disappointment while he fell back into the pillows instead.

"I take it this is better?" Zuko asked from his side. 

Sokka turned to see the man watching him, his eyes intent as he waited for something. For what reason, Sokka couldn't decide. "Yeah, it's really nice. Obviously, Varrick likes it."

A bit of tension left Zuko's shoulders and he gave a small smile. "Good. I can show you to the guest room if you're okay leaving Varrick." 

"I think he'll be fine." Then, before leaving he paused. "There aren't any matches in here are there?" 

"What? No. Of course not." Zuko now looked concerned, glancing around as if there was something awful about to happen. 

"Great, then let's go," Sokka turned and made his way back into the hall. Here too photos were hanging on the wall, though he paused as he saw one of him and Zuko. 

They'd done a mini photo shoot of sorts and he'd known, logically, that those photos were going to end up somewhere for show but it was different looking at one of them. Especially this one, which had been shot in front of a green screen but if he didn't know that he would have totally bought the idea that he and Zuko were together in Hawaii. 

The two of them stood together, Sokka's arm slung around Zuko's shoulder and his head leaning toward the other man's so that they touched. He wore a Hawaiian print shirt that Azula had tried to talk him out of (having brought it from his own wardrobe) and the top of khaki shorts could just be seen while sunglasses rested on top of his head. Zuko's arm was wrapped around his waist and he was looking at the camera with a small sort of smile that looked genuine anyway. His wardrobe was much more muted, a dark maroon t-shirt and black jeans with a pair of sunglasses tucked into the shirt collar and hanging down. Behind them was the lush background of Maui. 

"That came out really well. If I didn't know we took this here... I'd never know we took this here." 

Zuko let out an amused breath of air from his nose. "I think that was kind of the point." 

"Still. How'd the others come out?" 

They'd taken so many pictures, in different poses. It'd been weird at the beginning with Azula constantly telling Zuko that he needed to loosen up because he was too tense. Sokka had found it easy enough, leaning into the other man and flashing a wide grin to the camera every time. But he'd always been a tactile person so that probably explained the ease he had with the whole thing. It'd been kind of nice too, even. Zuko was a warm person, exuding body heat as if he was a human furnace. They'd found it was easier to have Sokka be the one doing most of the posing with Zuko just reacting accordingly to what he did and eventually they hit their stride. 

"Azula is happy with them," the other man answered. 

"And you?" 

Zuko turned away and started to lead the rest of the way toward the guest room, but not before Sokka saw the light flush that covered his cheeks. Well, perhaps Zuko just didn't like himself in pictures. He was a modest sort of man for how much power he held, probably thought it was bad to brag about how good they looked as a fake couple. 

\-- 

Zuko had been anxious as Piandao's visit approached. He wasn't good at lying and he certainly wasn't good at casual intimacy. No matter how much Azula said that he'd do it without issue because he had to or Mai hinted that it wasn't that difficult it didn't change the fact that it was for him. Not only that, but he'd found himself worried about if Sokka would be comfortable here enough to fake the relationship. 

The pictures that they'd taken together had come out much better than he'd expected and even Izumi hadn't found anything to say negative about them. Azula had a couple of things to say but she always had a couple of things to say. 

After Varrick and Sokka had arrived he was distracted from his worries a little, helping the two of them get settled in and then by a call from Azula who wanted to check and made sure that Sokka had actually shown up like he said that he was going to before she dove into what she thought were necessary last-minute reminders about Piandao's upcoming visit. 

By the time that he'd calmed his sister down enough, it was practically time for dinner. He found Sokka and Varrick sitting together on the same couch that Sokka had made him watch Star Wars on. They were watching Bill Nye explain something. Or well, it seemed like they were partly doing so because Varrick was asking Sokka additional questions. 

For a moment he watched the two of them. Sokka seemed to have endless patience for his son's questions, which were thoughtful and surprisingly fast. If he didn't know the answer, Sokka suggested that Bill would get to it or that they could look it up afterward which would temporarily satisfy him until something else became a question. He wondered before he could stop himself, what it would have been like to have a relationship like that with his own father.

"Are you just going to stand there and stare or were you planning on joining us?" Sokka turned to Zuko without giving any indication of when he'd noticed his presence. 

It caught the other man off guard and he found his cheeks heating as he stepped closer. "I didn't want to disturb," he answered, shifting his weight from one leg to the other. 

"We're literally at your house, dude," Sokka deadpanned. 

"Right, I know that. Just-" he didn't know how to explain what he was thinking. So he decided to leave the rest of the idea unsaid. "Are you hungry? Dinner is going to be ready soon." 

Varrick, who had straightened up when he heard the question, looked between the two adults with a calculating expression. Whatever he was trying to figure out, he apparently didn't come to any conclusion that made sense because his puzzled look didn't go away. "Neither one of you are cooking though?" 

"That's because Ty Lee does the cooking around here," Zuko explained, then continued before Varrick could get the question out that was surely coming next. "She's our chef."

"You have a chef?" Varrick's eyes widened and he looked at his dad in surprise. 

"Um, yes." For a moment Zuko was wondering if he should dive into the reasoning - his own lack of skill in the kitchen, the long work hours, the fact that he simply didn't like cooking.

Before he had a chance to do so, Varrick had turned to Sokka and made a hushed comment to him that had his father snorting. "Don't get your hopes up, Var," he said firmly. 

As if summoned by the conversation about her, Ty Lee exited the kitchen and came into the living room, smiling when she saw them. "Oh good, you're almost all here. Well, dinner is about to be served so if someone can go and grab Izumi and then if you all want to get seated," she smiled.

"I'll do it!" Varrick jumped up and ran for the stairs. 

Sokka held up a hand as if to stop his son but then seemed to realize that it was already too late and gave a shrug. "Guess that leaves the two of us," he said, turning off the television and straightening the throw onto the back of the couch. It was new, a suggestion from Sokka to add things to be cozier. Judging by the fact that Varrick had been using it, it probably also served a much more practical purpose. 

"Guess it does," Zuko nodded, unsure of what else to say. He waited for the other man before making his way over to the dining room and taking a seat. Sokka surprised him by taking the one next to him instead of the one at the other end of the table. 

"You always take meals in the dining room like this?" 

"Yes, why?" Zuko tilted his head in confusion. 

"I don't know, I guess it just kind of seems like a lot for two people. I thought maybe you'd have a little nook or something." Sokka shrugged. "Maybe take dinner in the family room together or whatever."

"No." He didn't see the point in it. Sure, the dining room table that could seat six was a lot for a meal that usually just held himself and Izumi, with the occasional guests. Even so, having a set family dinner at the table was an important part of their routine. 

Varrick's loud voice could be heard as he and Izumi got closer to the dining room. "And did you know that human bodies are more bacteria than human?" he was saying. "There's something like ten times the amount of bacteria when compared to human cells."

It was a fact that Zuko hadn't heard before and he doubted that Izumi had either. "Uh, no, I didn't know that." Izumi sounded uncertain and Zuko could imagine the way her eyebrows would have raised ever so slightly and her mouth would have pulled into a small frown. 

The two entered the dining room and Izumi took her normal place on Zuko's other side, across from Sokka, while Varrick went to sit next to his father. "It's true. I asked dad once if that meant we're just bacteria with some human in us but he said no." 

"It's not just me who said that," Sokka said to his son, in the air of someone who had had this conversation many times before.  
  
"Well, what do you think?" Varrick turned to Izumi, his eyes questioning. 

"I don't know, I haven't had much time to consider the idea," Izumi answered in the tone she used when she was trying to be polite.

Ty Lee came in at that moment and began placing dishes in front of everyone. As usual, it smelled amazing and Zuko was sure that it was going to be just as delicious as it always was. Sokka looked eager too, eyeing the plate with obvious interest. 

Varrick was equally enthused. "Wow! I can't believe this is real life and I get to eat a real chief's food. Usually, I just have to eat my dad's food."

"Hey!" Sokka exclaimed looking at his son in betrayal. "I try my best!" 

"Dad, don't make me try to pretend you're as good as a real chef." Varrick spoke so seriously that Zuko had to bite down on his lip and turn away, catching sight of Izumi as she snorted in amusement and dug into her plate. 

\--

When it came time to go to bed, Varrick, as usual, did not want to go. "Bud, we've got to get up extra early for me to get you to school on time," Sokka pointed out. 

Varrick had pleaded still for an extra five minutes but Sokka had not given in, simply brought the boy to the room that he was staying in and settled him into bed before giving him a kiss goodnight and making his way to the guest bedroom that had been granted to him for the night to start winding down for the evening himself. He checked his work email, answering a few questions that had been sent his way and then texting Suki for a bit.

When she turned in for the night, he scrolled through his Facebook mindlessly, then taking the time to actually go the pages of Katara, Aang, his dad, his step-dad, his nephews, and niece to make sure that he hadn't missed any updates from them. He even made comments on things, knowing that Katara was going to tell him off for being up so late.

Despite the fact that he knew that he should be trying to head to bed so that he could get as much sleep as possible, he was wide awake. Nerves weren't really something that he usually had to deal with but he knew that there was a lot on the line tomorrow and it felt more real now than it had before. 

So he did what he always did when he was nervous, ran through the plans for the next day. 

He'd have to get him to the South Shore and then suffer through the traffic of everyone commuting into the island to get back. He'd also miss the arrival of the guest that Zuko was going to have as his flight was due to get in around 7 am and though he'd have to clear customs and then get chauffered here he'd certainly arrive before Sokka was back to the house but they'd discussed that. Then it was just playing host and hoping that he was likable enough to the guest and a realistic enough husband to Zuko. 

Nothing too horrible. He could do it. 

\--

Zuko started his morning as he started all mornings, before the sun was up and with some meditation, followed by working out in the home gym. After that, he took a quick shower and went to see Sokka and Varrick off. 

"Here, this is yours," he said to the other man, presenting a simple silver band that matched the one that he'd already put onto his left hand. It felt odd there, out of place and somehow glaring despite its simple appearance. 

"Oh," Sokka looked at the ring for a moment before he took it. Zuko noticed that he didn't put it on right away, instead slipped it into his pocket. Possibly feeling the other man's gaze on him as he did so, he looked up and offered a small smile. "I'll put it on before I'm back. Just don't want to give the drop off people anything to gossip about." 

"Right." Somehow it seemed like there might be more to it than that but he wasn't about to push. It wasn't like he had a right to do so. Instead, he also held out the keys to a car that they were renting to be 'Sokka's' since Azula had insisted that there was no way anyone would let their husband own a Toyota Carola. "These are also for you."

Now Sokka grinned. "Ah, right. My new ride." Apparently, he wasn't worried about what gossip would come of that.

"Bye papa," Varrick waved as he skipped down to start toward the garage and Zuko felt strangely okay with this boy calling him papa. 

When Izumi came down for breakfast he took it with her, as usual. She wasn't a morning person, so it was silent as they ate comfortably together until it was time for her to head out for school. 

"Have a good day," he wished her. 

"Have fun with your fake husband," she shot back before she headed out the door.

It was only a few minutes after she'd left that Azula showed up, folder in hand. She skipped the greeting and went straight to business. "Are you sure that you've got your relationship history down?"

"Yes, Azula." 

"And the numbers about the business?" 

"Yes, Azula." 

"Sokka knows his shit?"

"Yes, Azula," Zuko sighed. But the lists made his sister feel better and so he could put up with them for her sake. Besides, if all went well he wouldn't have to be putting up with them for much longer. 

"Good because I've already been texted by the driver that they're on their way. Are you sure that's the outfit we want to go for?" Her thoughtful eyes were on his clothes now. 

"I doubt I have time to change if they're already on their way," Zuko pointed out and took a breath to quell the urge to snap at Azula that she was the one who had picked out this outfit anyway. If she hadn't thought it was right she could have decided that before now. 

"You're probably right." There was a grudging admittance to her tone. "I guess I'll have to put on the best face for the two of us. Did Sokka put on that outfit we picked out for him?"

Azula was liberally using the royal we here as Zuko had no say in what the other man was to wear but he nodded nonetheless. Sokka had looked nice, cozy in the light gray sweater worn over a navy button-down and dark slacks. His long dark hair had been pulled into the same braids that he tended to wear, kept out of his dark face. If warm and inviting had been Azula's goal in styling, she'd certainly accomplished it. 

"Good, good." Then her phone buzzed in her hand. "Oh shit, he's here. Come on, get your shoes on, we'll greet him outside." 

They went out and Zuko wished that he'd grabbed a coat, shivering as a gust of cold wind cut through the thin fabric of his own button-down. Azula must have been cold too, but she didn't show it, simply gave a large smile as they approached the man exiting a large, dark sedan. "Mr. Piandao, it's so lovely to see you again."

"Ah, Ms. Sozin, it's great to see you too." Piandao turned to greet Azula with a small smile. He stood around Zuko's height, looking remarkably well put together for someone who had taken two overnight flights. His graying hair was pulled back into a top not and his face was sharp, even a little intimidating for Zuko. The man's light brown eyes looked him over while his face stayed unreadable. Finally, he held out a hand. "You must be Mr. Sozin. It's nice to finally meet you face to face."

"It's an honor, sir," Zuko answered, his best business politics voice coming out smoothly despite the nerves that he was feeling. "We're happy to have you with us for the next few nights." When Piandao's carry on was set next to the car, he reached to take it before gesturing to the house. "Please, come in, you must be tired from your journey." 

"Thank you." The older man gave a nod and followed Zuko back inside as Azula gave the driver a tip and brought up the rear. "Your house is quite lovely." 

"Thank you." Zuko paused to take his shoes off again once they were inside and at the same time took Piandao's coat to hang. 

"This must be your family," Piandao had moved to the photo that was in the entryway. It was a photoshopped compilation of all of them, done quite well by whoever Azula had paid to do it. Varrick and Sokka sat on a couch while Izumi and Zuko stood behind it. 

"Aren't they just a beautiful looking bunch?" Azula questioned, looking toward the photo with a fond smile. 

"Quite," Piandao agreed before turning back to Zuko. "I assume the children are at school, but where is your husband?"

"He's on his way. He likes to drive them to school each morning." He tried to make what he hoped was a fond smile, thinking about the way that he felt when he spoke about Izumi. 

"What an involved father," Piandao gave an approving smile. "I fear too many people don't make the time for small things with their children any longer. It's nice to see some parents still recognize the importance." 

"Our children are the most important thing in the world to us." That, at least, wasn't a lie and he didn't even feel strange speaking for Sokka when he said so because the other man had said as much. "Can we get you something to drink? Some tea perhaps? Or maybe we could show you to your room if you'd like to rest for a bit?" 

"Some tea would be welcome." 

They were in the kitchen together, all three of them when Sokka arrived back. Azula had been talking when Sokka must have entered so no one heard him until Sokka was actually walking into the kitchen. When he reached it, he paused, looking astonished. 

Piandao was actually the first person to notice him. "And this must be the other Mr. Sozin."

Sokka seemed to start at his name and then tried to school his face into something less surprised. "Mr. Qaqqaq, actually." The other man corrected easily. "In Quebec everyone keeps the names they're born with after getting married." He crossed the room over to Zuko and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, his warm lips brushing against the skin and leaving Zuko feeling a bit flushed. "But babe, you didn't mention that the guest staying with us would be the Piandao Muhao. The inventor of White Lotus programming language." His eyes looked into Zuko's with an intensity that made them sparkle as he tried to wordlessly communicate something.

Honestly, Zuko wasn't sure what it was exactly. There were some darker specks of brown in Sokka's eyes, not all one flat color but shades that seemed to flash under his emotion. "Oh, uh- it must have slipped my mind."

"You know about the White Lotus programming language?" Piandao's voice held surprise. 

"I am a freelance software developer," Sokka explained smoothly. "But a huge fan of your work. Honestly, it's incredible. I never thought that I'd get to meet you in person. I'm blown away. This is like a dream come true for me. There's so much you know, I'd love to get to pick your brain a little."

"Sokka," Azula's voice cut in sharply and all three men glanced at her. Perhaps worried that she was coming across a bit too stiffly she plastered a smile across her face. "Don't overwhelm the gentleman." Now she gave the laugh that Zuko always hated because he thought it sounded fake. "He's just had a very long trip."

"Nonsense," Piandao shook his head. "I'd love to talk to someone who shows so much enthusiasm for my work. I'm happy to answer any questions you might have, Mr. Qaqqaq."

Sokka quickly threw a victorious grin toward Azula who looked as if she might strangle him right then and there for a moment before she schooled her face back into a more pleasant expression. Zuko was sure that he'd hear about this later but for now, he had to admit that there was something charming about Sokka excitedly starting to question their guest. 

Zuko didn't bother trying to keep up when they started talking about more complex details on coding languages, simply allowing himself to stand by his fake husband and drink his tea. 

Truthfully, it was much more enjoyable than most meetings he'd been in, and with the way that Sokka kept complimenting Piandao's brilliance practically every other sentence, he was probably making a better impression than either Zuko or Azula could make on their own. Even the sulking Azula would do if he told her this would be worth it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, here we go. 
> 
> As always, I appreciate everyone who takes the time to read this work and am very touched by all the comments and kudos that I've gotten. 
> 
> Ya'll are amazing. If you wanna follow me on Tumblr I'm @ambykinns.


	4. sokka's hero and a get together story

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sokka continues to charm Piandao but things at dinner get dicey.

It seemed that Sokka was a fan of Piandao. Zuko really hadn't told him who was coming so it wasn't like he could have read up on him to impress the other man, no, this was a genuine happy accident. Piandao seemed to enjoy Sokka's questions and observations and as they all settled into the dining room table the two of them talked in speeds and in a sort of incomplete language that Zuko had no chance of following because the two of them would complete each other's thoughts before the whole thing had been completed. 

Next to him, Azula sat, her arms crossed tightly across her stomach as she frowned and watched them. "I thought we were supposed to be telling him about the company," she muttered unhappily in Zuko's direction. 

"I thought Sokka was supposed to be a charming husband to make Piandao more at ease," he replied, his voice barely over a whisper. He wasn't the one who had brought Sokka here, after all. It'd been Azula's idea and while he'd been openly skeptical of it things did seem to be going well on the front of making Piandao feel welcome and appreciated. Besides, Zuko was actually sort of happy not to have to focus on the overwhelming pressure to make sure that he was putting his best foot forward and making Piandao want to do business with him. Sitting back and watching Sokka fan out over the older man was a relief in his book. 

Azula's eyes narrowed at him. "Shut up," she hissed, taking a sip out of her tea which she had been able to refill twice now in the time that Sokka and Piandao spoke at length of coding languages. 

Personally, Zuko believed that Azula was mad that she too couldn't fully follow where this conversation was going. She was intelligent and used to not being out of the loop but clearly, they'd gotten to a point where even she had given up trying to keep track of what was happening. Zuko turned his attention back to the two men, watching Sokka talk animatedly with his hands. He seemed to come alive, vibrant, and handsome as he almost tripped over his own words in his rush to make sure that he was explaining what he wanted to. It was... kind of nice, seeing someone be so passionate about their work. In a way, it almost reminded him of his uncle and the tea shop that he ran in Japan. It occurred to him too, that he probably needed to thank his hiring manager for bringing Sokka into the team because he was clearly a genius and he had a feeling that a lot of the success they'd had recently probably had some input from Sokka. The fact that he'd never noticed the other man before was a bit of a mystery but the more he thought about it the more he remembered seeing Sokka's name in the mix of project workers.

He was mentally trying to place all the times he'd seen Sokka's name across his desk while the other man was in the midst of talking, but suddenly his gaze was caught by Sokka's. Feeling embarrassed about being caught watching him so intently, Zuko quickly averted his eyes with his face flushing. It shouldn't have been weird to be caught looking at him, considering he was the one who had been talking, but he did feel like he'd just gotten his hand caught in the cookie jar. 

"I'm so sorry, I just realized that I've been monopolizing you," Sokka said, having turned back to Piandao his tone a bit reluctant. "You didn't come all the way here to talk programming with me." 

"Don't apologize," Piandao gave a warm smile. "It's not often I meet someone else so passionate about these things. Besides, I've got plenty of time to talk business." 

Perhaps because Zuko knew that Aula must be making a face toward Sokka, he spoke up. "It's fine. After a long journey, it would be bad form to jump straight into business anyway." 

"Even so, I admit that my excitement over meeting you probably extended a bit far." 

"Please, Sokka. It has been a great joy speaking with someone so brilliant and excited about what I do," Piandao wasn't letting Sokka feel bad about his reaction and Zuko found himself glad for it. "Honestly, I don't know why your husband hasn't hired you into his own company. You'd be a very valuable asset."

Zuko flushed nervously and tried to give a smile. "Yeah well..." he didn't have an answer prepared for this. 

Sokka, luckily, swooped in and gave him a wink. "He's asked me to come work for him a few times but I've always let him down easy," he answered, flashing a grin that made Zuko's stomach do the thing where it felt like it was dropping. 

"More like I've vetoed it," Azula spoke up, finally. Her tone was harsher than Sokka's would be. "Having him work under Zuko-" Why, oh why did Zuko's mind choose now to flash a very inappropriate image of Sokka underneath him? "Is asking for trouble." 

"It is true that I would undeniably be his favorite," Sokka answered, reaching over and grabbing Zuko's hand to give it a squeeze as he looked over at Piandao. "Besides, freelancing gives me the freedom to be there for the kids when they need one of us and that's important for me." 

Piandao gave a bit of a smile as he nodded. "I can understand that. I'd like to think I'd be the same if my husband and I had ever had children. Still, it is a disappointment to know that this brilliant mind isn't working for the company. If he was I'd already be completely sold on you." 

"We have many brilliant workers among our ranks," Azula answered. "Some that would even put Sokka to shame." Now she gave the darker man a challenging look. 

Sokka shook his head, keeping his hand wrapped around Zuko's but let Azula start to talk about some of the new projects that had been started lately as Zuko occasionally threw in his own comments when he remembered not to. It was difficult though, not just focusing on the warm hand wrapped around his own or the expressions Sokka made when he was clearly trying not to jump in and explain a project more in-depth. 

\-- 

When Sokka fell silent and let Azula lead the conversation it became a lot less interesting to him. Sure, Piandao might have been a business investor but listening to him talk about this sort of stuff with Azula (and Zuko, he supposed, though the man wasn't leading the conversation) was far less interesting than what he'd been talking about earlier. By the time that they took a break for Piandao to relax a bit, Sokka actually felt a bit relieved. Or maybe that was just because had been waiting for a chance to sneak away and tell Suki about the fact that he'd gotten to meet one of his heroes up close and personal and he'd called him a genius. This gig was turning out to be one of the best things that had happened to him. 

It felt strange to go up to Zuko's room to get some privacy but it was the one place he could think of where no one would accidentally stumble upon him gushing to Suki during her lunch break. He sat on the couch (couch! in a bedroom!) to make the call. Even Suki teasing him about being a giant nerd could not bring down his mood. He sent texts to Katara and Aang as well, telling them about his meeting with Piandao without explaining exactly why it was happening. Technically, Piandao did come over to the company and technically he was working when he meant him. Aang, as usual, was thrilled for him. Katara teased him good-naturedly about his bucket list having an item crossed off from it. 

The rest of the day kind of passed in a blur. He ate lunch with the group but he didn't get in the way when Azula and Zuko brought Piandao to Zuko's home office to talk more business. Instead, he sort of wandered around the home, checking his work emails and sitting down with his laptop at some stages to do a bit of work until it was time to go and pick up Varrick. Stopping into the office before he left. 

"Honey, I'm gonna go pick up Varrick," he told his fake husband, throwing an air kiss his way. 

"Oh, okay, drive safe... sweetie," Zuko answered, a touch of awkwardness thrown in as he looked his way somewhat awkwardly. Even more so when Sokka stood, waiting for the air kiss to be returned. It didn't seem that the other man was getting it though because his eyebrows drew together. "Are you- was there something I forgot?" he asked when Sokka hadn't moved out of the doorway. 

Maybe he could have let him be, just left and whatever but while Sokka was playing a role he was still himself and in this case if he really were Zuko's husband he'd expect that he'd also get an air kiss in return. So he very deliberately made another air kiss in the man's direction. Azula rolled her eyes at his antics but Piandao seemed to be biting back a smile. Zuko finally got the memo though because he quickly made an air kiss in his direction, his ears turning pink as he shifted into his seat and then waved to Sokka. 

Sokka gave a wide grin and finally turned to go, humming to himself as he made his way down to the rental car that he got to call his for today and tomorrow. Driving was still no fun, but doing so in a fancier car and being able to blast his own music did make it more enjoyable. Even waiting in the pickup line wasn't that bad, soon enough Varrick was bounding into the car with a wide smile on his face and Sokka had to turn down the music so that he could hear his son start to eagerly tell him about his day. It was nice, being able to pick him up like this instead of having to get him from the after school program. As usual, Varrick had much to say about his day and the whole ride back to Zuko's house was easily passed with the stories that his son told. 

This time they entered through the garage, which Sokka had found an opener to already in the car as if it belonged there. The garage was huge and even though there were now four cars in it with the rental inside, it seemed like it had room for another four. Why anyone needed so much space was beyond Sokka but he simply locked up and made his way into the house. There was a closet in this downstairs entry where they could put their boots and coats, which they did. 

"I think I'm gonna keep my backpack in my room while we're here," Varrick informed his father. "I don't want to bring it down here." 

"That's okay," Sokka said with a nod as they made their way up the first set of stairs. "Want to get your homework done and then we can watch some Bill before dinner?" 

Varrick nodded enthusiastically and took off up the remaining sets of stairs. "Don't run up the stairs, Var," he called after his son with a sigh. No one was in the living room and Sokka took it to mean that business talk was still happening up with Zuko and that Izumi was probably in her own room. Not wanting to sit around any longer, he made his way to the kitchen where Ty Lee was busy preparing dinner. 

"Hi Ty Lee," he said with a wave. "Mind if I bother you for a while? Everyone else seems busy." 

"Not at all," she turned and flashed a smile at him. "It seems you've done a great job at charming Mr. Piandao. The two of you seemed to hit it off." 

"He's been one of my heroes of the industry as long as I can remember," Sokka admitted, reaching for a knife to start cutting up some of the vegetables that Ty Lee had set aside, years of being told that he couldn't just do nothing in the kitchen coming back to him as if Katara was standing next to him. 

"You don't have to do that." 

"I know, I don't like feeling useless."

Her laugh tinkled in the air. "You and Zuko both. I won't turn down the help," she said, moving back to the chicken that she'd been paying attention to. "I'm glad that you're getting something out of this experience. Besides the money, of course."

"Honestly, don't tell them this because I still want the money but being able to meet with Piandao was pretty much worth this whole thing," Sokka confided in the cook who laughed in response. 

"Don't worry, I won't sell you out," she promised with a warm smile. "Besides, Zuko would pay you even if he heard that. He's not one to underpay people." 

That much Sokka was aware of. His company had some of the best paying positions in their field as well as solid employee culture and paid holidays and leaves. Of course, things could still stand to be better still but overall Sokka wasn't surprised that Zuko's personal chef spoke well about the treatment that she received. "What about Azula? I don't think that I'm endearing myself to her."

"She's a bit tougher," Ty Lee agreed with a shrug. "But she listens to Zuko and she abides by contracts by the letter." 

"Isn't that sort of a legal obligation more than anything else?" He'd finished chopping the vegetables in front of him, so he left them be for whatever Ty Lee was going to do with them. 

"Maybe, but really, don't worry. Azula seems meaner than she is. And no one endears themselves to her right away." This part sounded like it was spoken from personal experience. "As long as you hold up your end of the deal, she'll respect you. Once she respects you she can like you." 

He nodded, figuring that it was fair enough. Besides, it wasn't like he was going to lose his full-time job because of showing Azula up in terms of his knowledge of the software. 

\--

Zuko felt strange, stopping into the bedroom that Varrick was occupying on his way down for dinner. He and Azula had stayed talking in his office even after they'd allowed Piandao to go and rest before dinner was set to be served, talking about what they would need to make sure to emphasize on their trip to the company tomorrow. Since he was heading downstairs, he planned on grabbing each of the kids. Izumi had been easy, a simple knock on the door that had her acknowledging that she knew it was almost dinner time and she would be down in a moment. Varrick on the other hand wasn't his child and he wasn't familiar with him. 

For a moment, he stood watching the small boy as he flipped through a book that seemed too large to be something that he had to do for school. Surprisingly, he held a pencil in his hand and looked like he was writing on the page. What he could be writing Zuko had no clue because as far as he could remember eight-year-olds had terrible, sloppy letters. With a soft knock on the doorframe, he tried to get the boy's attention but he didn't seem to notice. Trying again, he knocked a little more forcefully but there was still no sign of him noticing. 

"Varrick?" he tried, stepping inside the room. 

This seemed to get his attention because the little dark head shot up from his book and he set the pencil down. "Ah, papa."

It was strange, the ease at which the boy said the word. Idly, Zuko wondered how he really felt about being forced to pretend that he had two dads. "Dinner is almost ready if you'd like to come down with me to get ready."

"Yes!" Varrick tossed the book aside with a force that surprised the man. "I am so hungry." 

At that moment, Zuko saw the similarity between Sokka and his son. He'd said the words the same way that Sokka had before and he had the same sort of eager way to him at the thought of food. It was kind of endearing. "Alright, well let's go." 

They managed to be the first two in the dining room though Sokka came out a couple of minutes later from the direction of the kitchen, he was smiling and seemed to be in a good mood. Had he been in with Ty Lee? Why? He'd told him about Mai. Either way, Sokka settled into the place beside Zuko as he had before. Izumi joined next, giving a nod toward everyone as she took her seat. Azula followed shortly after, furiously texting someone on her phone before she settled in. Piandao was the last one to make his way in pretty much at the exact time Zuko had said that dinner was supposed to be served. 

"Oh, my apologies if I've held up the meal," he said when he saw everyone else seated. 

"Not at all," Zuko assured the older man, giving a nod. "Ty Lee is just finishing everything up." 

"Oh. My. Goodness." Varrick's voice broke in and when Zuko looked at the boy he was staring at Piandao in the same way that Sokka had been earlier in the day. "You're Mr. Piandao. My dad loves you!" 

Piandao chuckled while Sokka bit down on his lip. "Varrick, please-"

"He has your book," Varrick continued, seeming a bit star-struck as he looked up at Piandao. "He says you're the smartest man in the industry."

Zuko looked over at Sokka who was rubbing the back of his neck and looking down at the table, apparently not pleased with the way that things were going. Piandao looked at Varrick with an indulgent sort of pleasure. Azula was making the face that pinched her lips together, it was one he knew well and meant that she was feeling conflicted. Izumi's face was unreadable but he did see her look up toward the ceiling for a moment in the way that she usually did when she was not on board with something. 

"That's very nice of him," Piandao said. "He's very smart too and I don't doubt that someday he'll be just as famous." 

Varrick grinned proudly. "That's my dad. Can you sign his book though? I know he'd like that." 

"What your name?" 

"Varrick," the reply was prompt and he seemed unwilling to be deterred. "You didn't answer my question. Will you sign his book?" Even Zuko had to laugh a little at the way that the body seemed to want to make sure he could get this done for his father. Even if Sokka seemed embarrassed right now, Zuko felt like he probably had to feel touched by the singlemindedness of his son. Zuko was. 

"I'd be happy to," Piandao agreed. "Maybe we can eat dinner first?" 

As if summoned, Ty Lee came through the door with some plates and Varrick's attention was turned to the food. 

The meal passed quietly without any further incident. Until Piandao spoke up. "You know, I don't think I asked. How did the two of you meet?" 

Sokka was the one who was quick to answer. "Ran into each other, quite literally, at the grocery store," he laughed and reached for Zuko's hand, taking it in his own and giving a smile that looked so real and affectionate that Zuko found his mind a bit foggy. "I made him drop a bottle of wine." 

"And then you offered me your number as an apology," Zuko shook his head, speaking without giving it too much thought. It seemed to the narrative. 

Sokka looked pleased with the way he'd jumped in and gave a winning smile in his direction. "You're the one who called." 

"And then," it was Varrick speaking up. 

The whole table, save Piandao, froze. Zuko was pretty sure that he'd stopped breathing as he waited to see what the child would say. Everything could come tumbling down in an instant depending on what he said and suddenly he wasn't feeling so confident. Sokka had said that Varrick was smart, but he'd also said that he was the kind of kid that could get himself into trouble. Now he might get the rest of them into trouble. 

Sokka gripped tighter to Zuko's hand, his eyebrows furrowing as he looked at his son anxiously. 

Azula's fingers were tightly wrapped around the fork that she'd been bringing up to her mouth to take a bite of her food, but now it was empty as she shot a panicked look toward the small child. 

Even Izumi was looking at him with interest, her head tilted forward and her eyes widened as she looked at the young child. 

Varrick seemed to be unaware of the massive way his interjection was causing everyone else to react. "My dad he sent me to my Aunt Suki's house when he went on a date and he came back and he was so happy and he told me that it was okay with my mom cause she'd want him to be happy even though she died." His brown eyes looked and found Sokka's and gave him a smile. "And I told him I think so too." 

For a moment there was silence and Zuko saw Sokka blink a few times and clear his throat lightly. 

"Well, it sounds like you are a very smart kid," Piandao spoke up, his voice gentle. "And that you love your dad a lot."

"I do," Varrick nodded vigorously. "And now I've got papa and Izumi and I always wanted a sister. Plus, we get to live in this big house." 

Azula was the one who laughed, though it was loud and a bit forced. "The way that children think, is really something." Some of the tension had gone out of her posture but Zuko could tell that she wanted to get Varrick away from saying anything more. "Perhaps you want to tell us about how you and your husband meant, Mr. Piandao?" 

Everyone else was able to relax as the other man started talking but Zuko noticed that Sokka was looking toward his son more than the older man, a fond look on his features. He looked almost soft, despite the hard lines of his jaw. His warm hand was still wrapped around Zuko's and it felt nice. The whole thing felt nice. 

\-- 

When it was time for the kids to go to bed, Sokka volunteered to go with them wanting to talk to Varrick about what he'd said at dinner. He waited for his son to get into his pajamas and then get his teeth cleaned before he was settled into bed. Sokka sat on the side of the bed, atop the covers as he brushed some of Varrick's messy hair away from his face. "Hey, Var, what was that about at dinner?"

"Oh, the story?" Varrick looked up at his father. "I thought I did a good job helping with the story."

"You did," he nodded, not wanting the boy to feel like he'd done something wrong. "I just wanted to know where you came up with it."

"Well, I heard Aunt Suki say it to you this summer." Varrick always had that matter-of-fact way of speaking. He always seemed so sure of himself and Sokka wondered how he managed it at such an early age. Sure, he was proud of his son but it was surprising, how much natural confidence the kid had. "That you should be happy because mom would want you to be. It makes sense to me." 

"I am happy," he echoed the same thing that he told his best friend when it had been brought up then. "I have you." 

Varrick looked at him critically and it almost made Sokka want to retreat into himself because sometimes he thought his child was much too perceptive. "I wouldn't mind having another dad or another mom." That was all he said before he snuggled down into bed as if that was the end of the conversation. "Goodnight, dad."

Sokka stayed where he was for a moment longer and then rose to go upstairs to the room that he'd be sharing with Zuko tonight, his mind still on the strange conversation that he'd had with Varrick. Was his son trying to say that he wanted another parental figure in his life? Was the child actually unhappy with just Sokka? He thought that he'd been doing an okay job as a single father but maybe he'd misread things. He didn't want Varrick to suffer in any way because of his own shortcomings. While he showered he barely even had time to appreciate the huge amazing shower that Zuko had because he was too busy thinking about the ways in which he could try to improve as a parent. 

He thought about who he could call to talk this over with and came up blank. Toph was a single mom but she was one by choice and she never seemed to have doubts about how she was doing. Katara and Suki would listen to him if he spoke to them but they wouldn't really get it - Suki because she didn't have any children and Katara because she had Aang with her. His own father might understand but he always felt weird trying to bond with him about the fact that both of them ended up young widowers. 

Despite the fact that it was clearly not his house, he ended up doing his normal post-shower routine, in which he dried off his hair and wrapped a towel around his waist to be able to go change. 

\--

When everyone else cleared up to head for bed, or rather Sokka and Varrick went to put the boy to bed and Izumi cleared out to her room while Piandao asked if he might be able to use the library that he'd noticed earlier, Zuko stayed behind with Azula. 

"I think today went well," he told his sister. 

"It could have gone worse," she allowed, never one to just come out and say when things went well. "But I'm glad that mr. fanboy won't be there tomorrow to make us look like we're desperate for him to buy us out or that we're just fawning over him to embarrass ourselves."

"I quite think he liked the attention." Zuko knew that he was going to rile up Azula if he sided with Sokka's actions. It might have been part of the reason why he was doing it. 

"Ugh, that's just because you think your fake husband is hot." Her glare was icy as he sputtered to try and deny it. "Don't bother lying, I could tell the first time he walked in the room you were attracted to him. That's why I picked him. Makes things more real. Now I'm going home and taking a long hot bath because those Qaqqaq boys are going to be the death of me."

Zuko couldn't deny that they were certainly the type to keep people on their toes but it'd been kind of nice, all day, not being so certain of everything that was going to happen. Plus, a little funny to see Azula so thrown through a loop. He made a stop at Izumi's room to say goodnight to her, giving a light knock before he let himself in. She was laying in bed already, though she hadn't changed out of her day clothes as she read out of a novel that he was fairly certain she was reading for school. 

"Thank you again, Zumi," he said. "I know you're not a big fan of this but I want you to know how much I appreciate it." 

His daughter looked up at him and then sighed. "Yeah, you're welcome," she answered. "It was kind of funny to see Aunt Azula almost have a heart attack when Varrick started speaking at dinner." A wicked little smile pulled at the corner of her lips. 

A laugh burst from him, short and unexpected. "I was too busy panicking myself to find it funny at the time, but I think you're right." 

"Yeah, you were funny to look at too," she grinned. 

"Thanks for that." Leaning forward he pressed a light kiss against her forehead. "Don't stay up too late, okay?"

"Yes, dad." She turned back to her book and he took that as his cue to leave. 

Before continuing on, he peeked into Varrick's room where he could see what looked like a lamp light on. Sure enough, the kid had a book out and was reading by lamplight. "Didn't your dad say it was bedtime?" he questioned, feeling a bit odd in telling someone else's child what to do but Varrick did look guilty.

"Yes," he sighed and put the book away. "Are you gonna tell him?

"Not if you go to sleep." Zuko figured that it was a fair enough exchange. Varrick seemed to think so too because he nodded then flipped off the lamp and snuggled under the blanket, so Zuko closed the door and kept going upstairs. 

Walking into his bedroom he wasn't sure what he was expecting, but it wasn't for a mostly naked Sokka to walk in from the bathroom wearing just a towel low on his hips. The man's dark skin was still wet in some areas and his hair was damp, falling into his eyes but Zuko's eyes were drawn not to his face but to the wide expanse of his chest and the smooth skin over his muscles that were toned and left it hard to swallow. Why was he so fit when he sat at a desk most of the day? And there was the trail of hair down his navel leading to the knot of his towel. The same towel that Zuko had used many times before, now just wrapped around a mostly naked Sokka. 

If Sokka noticed his staring he didn't say anything, he just looked at Zuko in some surprise. "Oh, hey, sorry dude. I didn't bring my pajamas with me."

"It's fine." His voice came out more choked sounding than he would have liked, so he cleared his throat hastily. "I was just um, I wanted to get my pajamas and then like I said, I can sleep in my office."

"No, you'll sleep in bed with me." Sokka was serious-sounding as he reached for his suitcase and pulled out what looked to be a worn t-shirt and some pajama pants. "There's no reason why we can't share. I'll go get dressed and I'll show you just how much room there is on the bed." 

"Okay." Maybe it was the fact that Sokka was standing there looking so... unfairly attractive but Zuko couldn't find it in himself to argue. However, once the other man was back in the bathroom he took a deep breath and wondered what in the world he'd gotten himself into. 

Somehow sharing a bed seemed like a very, very bad idea.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so happy that people seem to be enjoying this story, hopefully you all like this chapter too. 
> 
> Feel free to scream at me in the comments, it makes my day and if you wanna hit me up on tumblr find me @ambykinns


	5. the office and some good news

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sokka and Zuko wake up a bit interestingly. And Zuko and Azula make the sales pitch.

When Sokka awoke the next morning, it was to an unfamiliar alarm. That and a warm arm wrapped around his shoulder and his face resting against a warm cotton-covered chest, his leg nestled between two others. Confusion was the overwhelming feeling and for a moment Sokka didn't understand how he'd ended up here. Last night when he'd gotten into bed in his makeshift pajamas (an old college t-shirt and some pajama pants) he'd been on one side of the bed and Zuko had gotten in on the other in a pair of proper pajamas that Sokka had been too preoccupied to tease him about. 

The huge bed had plenty of space in it that the two of them should have had no problem sticking to those sides. Except, apparently they hadn't because now Sokka was comfortably tucked into Zuko's chest. It should have been more awkward than it was, but all that he really felt was tired still. Well and warm, nice. Zuko smelled good, he decided after taking a subtle sniff of the other man and only then realizing that said man was completely frozen underneath him, not seeming to even breathe. 

Annoyingly the alarm was still going off, but Zuko hadn't moved to turn it off. Maybe because from where he was, in the middle of the large bed, he wouldn't be able to reach it without moving Sokka. Annoyed by the blaring sound, Sokka was the one who moved with a lazy roll off of the other man. "Are you going to get that?" he asked his voice heavy with sleep still. 

For a moment there wasn't a response and then Zuko cleared his throat and moved over to the side of the bed. "Yeah, sorry." There was something slightly off with his voice but Sokka was too tired to try and read into it. 

"What time is it even?" He didn't want to open his eyes to look at the clock. 

"5:45." 

"In the morning? For fucks sake." No wonder his body was fighting this. Even with having to leave early to take Varrick to school, he didn't have to be up for another almost hour. 

"Sorry." 

Sokka turned and cracked an eye open to see Zuko looking at him uncomfortably, his face pink and his long hair messed up from sleep. Idly the thought crossed his mind that the other man looked sort of cute. "Dude, don't apologize for your own routine in your own house," he answered. "Just let me go back to sleep." 

Should he have tried to apologize for apparently going all octopus on him after saying that it wouldn't be a big deal for them to share the bed? maybe but he was still way too tired to deal with anything right now. Last night he'd tossed and turned for a while before being able to fall asleep, worrying about Varrick and if he was really happy or not. It'd seemed at points that Zuko was still awake too but if he hadn't slept well he didn't seem to deal with it in the same way that Sokka did because the other man was getting out of bed quickly. 

He made a mental note to apologize later but right now he just buried his face into the - very soft - pillow in front of him and tried to get back to sleep. 

\-- 

Waking up wasn't ever something that Zuko had problems with. He'd always been the type to rise naturally early and on the first sound of his alarm. What he wasn't used to was having someone else laying on top of him, snuggled up against him making him unable to turn off the alarm and leaving him to panic about what was going to happen when the other man did awaken to find Zuko's arm wrapped around him like he owned him or something. 

Worse, as uncomfortable as Zuko was to be in this position there was part of him that liked it. Sokka's body felt nice against his, even if it was a touch too heavy in places. Sokka's arm was splayed across his chest and his fingers clutched to his shoulder like a lifeline and he didn't know how to breathe because he hadn't expected this and Sokka made a cute little noise of discomfort and his nose scrunched up in distaste the longer that the alarm went on and Zuko didn't know how to get to the alarm without shoving Sokka off of him or just waking him up. 

When he stood in the bathroom after he'd managed to get himself up, he stared at his own reflection in the mirror where his cheeks were high pink and his hair was a mess and let out a quiet groan at how awkward he'd just been when Sokka hadn't thought that it was a big deal at all. In order to get out of his own head, he got changed into his workout clothes, went down to the home gym, and worked out for a solid forty-five minutes to get out of his head. 

It didn't work, by the time he was in the shower he was thinking about Sokka again. Way more than he should have been. Then he was feeling bad about thinking about Sokka and his body and how it felt pressed against his own and how he'd looked the night before when he'd gotten out of the shower wearing nothing but a towel. 

"I am so fucked," he said, resting his head against the wall of the shower and letting the water wash over him for far too long. 

When he was clean and dressed for the day, he ran into Sokka who had gotten dressed as well and now was awake.

"Hey, dude, sorry about this morning, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."

"It's fine. No big deal." So what if he was still thinking about how good Sokka's hair smelt? That was between his brain and him. 

"Okay, cool. So you're taking Piandao to the office today?" 

"Yeah. We'll probably be there most of the day." He was looking forward to it, getting everything settled so that he could put all of this behind him. 

"Good, I'm supposed to be meeting with someone about the water damage at my place this afternoon and I don't want to have to come up with some story about what's taking me out." Sokka gave a rueful little smile that made Zuko feel warmer.

If Azula was here she'd make him come up with something just in case they finished early and Sokka wasn't back or whatever. "Don't worry about it." 

"Great. Now let's go and get some breakfast, I'm starving." Sokka slung an arm over Zuko's shoulders and he wondered for a moment if he expected the two of them to walk all the way downstairs like this but he made his way with him anyway. 

\-- 

As it turned out, having Zuko's house to himself was kind of boring. 

Sure, the place was huge and there was no shortage of things to do but as Sokka didn't actually live there he didn't want to mess with too many things. Ty Lee wasn't coming over until later because it was only Sokka around so lunch wasn't something that she was going to come and make just for him. 

He did wander through the house, a bit like a ghost, looking around and opening drawers at random to see what was inside of them. Nothing surprising came out of it. Zuko, it seemed, was a perfectly normal individual. That or his snooping was in too common of spaces for anything to come out of it. 

Mostly, he just figured out that there was a bit too much space in the house for the number of things in it. What was it with rich people wanting to have a bunch of empty space? He texted Suki the question, knowing she'd have no better idea about it than he did.

Not wanting to be a total monster he didn't go through Zuko or Izumi's rooms, nor did he open any of the drawers in the desk in Zuko's office. Contenting himself with just looking at the framed photos on it instead. There was one of Zuko with a young Izumi sitting in his lap, sleeping with her head resting against his shoulder as Zuko looked toward Azula sitting right next to him. There was also a photo of a young Zuko, who it took Sokka a moment to recognize because the scar that took up the left half of his face wasn't there, with a man that had a friendly looking smile and who was ruffling his hair affectionately. Both photos were very cute. 

For a long while, he looked at them and then sat back in the chair, looking out the window down into the city and wondering what it must be like for someone like Zuko to live in this big house and have so much money. 

What would it be like to live here full time and actually be the husband to some rich CEO? To actually be Zuko's husband who went with him to Maui on a honeymoon? To have Ty Lee around to cook every dinner? To not have to worry if Varrick set a house sprinkler off and caused a few thousand dollars worth of damage? To wake up not to an empty bed but tangled up in a pair of steady arms?

"It'd be nice," he admitted as he watched snow start to fall down in heavy flakes outside. But it was all pretend anyway.

\-- 

Despite the high stress of today, Zuko felt like he was doing well with showing Piandao around the company that he and Azula had successfully been running since his father was taken out of power. 

Sure, they had to make a good impression to make sure that the man would actually want to buy but he was proud of the team that they had and everything that they'd accomplished. It wasn't like things had been going poorly when they'd gotten their hands on the company, but it had sort of stagnated under his father's tenure. Together, he and Azula had managed to make growth.

Piandao seemed to be impressed too, nodding thoughtfully and asking the occasional questions which Azula and Zuko both took turns fielding.s 

Everything was going quite smoothly until they started down a hallway and Zuko suddenly noticed Sokka's office coming up ahead. He'd somehow managed to forget about the fact that Sokka did work at his company and not only that, but he was in a position to have his own office space that had his name on the door. Usually, he would have counted on Azula to have taken the plaque down or something but apparently, this was an oversight on her part as well. There was no way that they'd be able to explain this away because it wasn't like Sokka had an extremely common name. 

Currently, Piandao's head was facing Azula, not even in the direction of Sokka's office but if he turned at any point he would see Sokka's office and probably ask about it. 

"Uh- uh," he stuttered trying to think of an excuse to stop them before they got so close that it would be impossible to misread Sokka's name. Coming to an abrupt stop his companions did as well, turning to look at him in confusion. "I'm so hungry!"

Azula was shooting him a confused and annoyed look. 

"It's practically lunchtime. There's a really great restaurant just around the corner from here. Why don't we all go and grab some food before the lunch rush starts up?" 

Piandao looked thoughtful for a moment and then nodded. "Sure, I could eat." 

With a shaky smile, Zuko nodded and turned them back the direction which they'd just came from, ignoring the way that Azula was still looking at him and pulling out his phone to send a text to the office manager to ask her if she could please remove the name plaque off of Sokka's door for the time being. 

Only when he got confirmation of it being done did he breathe a bit easier. A voice in his mind wondered what happened when the sale went through and Piandao found out that Sokka actually worked at the company and was a strong asset to it? 

That... well that was a bridge they'd cross when they got to it. 

\-- 

After a costly meeting at his home, Sokka was very grateful that he had the extra cash that he had earned from being Zuko's fake husband. At least they got everything sorted out and although it would take some time to fix the hall and Varrick's room, Sokka could have his son stay in his room while it was being taken care of. 

On his ride into the city with his son after school, he decided to make a request. "Please, tonight at dinner, don't make up any stories."

"I didn't make up a story. I modified a story," Varrick argued. "I really did hear Aunt Suki tell you that and I really do want you to be happy."

"I appreciate that Var, but please don't talk about the fake relationship if you're not asked." He didn't think anyone could handle that stress again. 

"Okay." His son was pouting a little but he knew that he could trust him. It only lasted a moment anyway before he was diving into his thoughts about what one could do if they could make a giant snowman be able to move. 

If there was one thing to count on it was that Varrick was never able to stay down for long. 

When they arrived back to the house Varrick went straight to the living room, looking around for people. The only one there was Izumi who was sitting on the couch, her face in her phone. "Hey, can we play a game?" he asked the teenager who looked up in surprise. 

For a moment Sokka wasn't sure what she was going to say and he didn't think that she knew either but she shrugged. "Sure, why not?" 

"Yes!" Then Varrick paused for a second. "What games are there here?" 

The teenager stood up and gave a nod toward Varrick. "Follow me," she said and the two of them walked out of the room together, leaving Sokka to stare after them. 

He was still standing there when Piandao came down the stairs and saw him. "Sokka! How are you doing today?" 

"Mr. Piandao! I'm well, thank you for asking. How was visiting the company today? I hope everything went well."

"It was fantastic. Really amazing things are happening there, but I'm sure that you don't have to tell you that," the older man chuckled. "Your husband has really made something incredible out of the place." 

"That he has." It was something that had drawn Sokka there in the first place. Being a part of the team at Sozins was something that he was proud of and it was strange not to add that but he knew why he couldn't. 

"I must say, I'm surprised that they haven't gotten you in the team," Piandao said thoughtfully. "Your brilliant mind? You'd be a valuable asset to the company."

Unsure of how to respond to this, Sokka gave an uncomfortable laugh. "They can't afford me," he joked. 

"There you go. Know your worth." 

At that moment, Zuko came in looking at the two of them with a raised eyebrow. "What's this about worth?"

Sokka made his way over to the other man with a smile and pressed a kiss against his cheek. For some reason being close to him now brought back the memory of being wrapped in his arm this morning and it made him feel warmer. "We're just talking about how you can't afford to hire me onto your team." 

For a moment he felt the CEO stiffen next to him and then he gave a kind of weird choked sounding laugh that made Sokka want to look at him in disbelief because there was no way that was convincing. instead of doing that though, he managed to keep a taunting smile on his face despite his eyes asking what the hell was going on. 

A frankly awkward silence followed, dragging until Sokka spoke up. "I'm gonna go see how Ty Lee is doing and if she needs any help in the kitchen."

"I doubt that." Zuko's voice was sharper than Sokka was used to and he looked at the other man in confusion. 

What was his problem? 

"It's her job." His tone was tense. 

"Okay... well then I'm just going to bother her," Sokka said slowly, still eyeing Zuko to figure out what in the world had gotten into him. "I'll come back and give you an update on how long until food is ready." 

\-- 

Zuko couldn't stop the frown that took over his features as Sokka disappeared to go spend time with Ty Lee again. Really it was probably a good thing that he didn't actually live here or he'd be constantly distracting his cook while she was trying to get her work done. That and Mai would come over to murder him. 

He was busy watching the space where Sokka had walked from, not focusing on Piandao under the other man hmmed thoughtfully. At that he suddenly remembered that he was supposed to be acting like a rational adult and not like some stupid, jealous idiot and flushed pink. Not that he was jealous. Of course not. Sokka wasn't his husband or his boyfriend. He was his employee and he was just looking out for Mai. 

"Mr. Piandao, my apologies. I was thinking about what you said earlier and.." 

Sokka, as it turned out, did not come back from the kitchen until it was time for dinner and he was in a good mood when he did. For some reason it made Zuko feel annoyed. He was not going to examine this. Instead, he went to go and get Izumi and Varrick who he was surprised to find together in the family room in the midst of a game of Sushi Go. 

For a moment, Zuko just watched them, surprised at the ease with which they interacted with one another. Izumi had been an only child her whole life and so had Varrick but they played together like a pair of siblings might have - with a bit less fierce competition than he and Azula had always done things but still. It was actually sweet. 

Varrick hit the bell and laughed. "I win!"

Izumi was looking back in a bit of surprise. "Okay, I guess you really are just good at every game." Her tone was flat but he could pick up the amusement on her face. 

"That's what my dad says too. I am very good at games." 

"Hey kids," he stepped inside the room. Two heads snapped up, Izumi's fair skin and Varrick's brown contrasts against each other though their brown eyes were similar shades. "Dinner is just about ready if you want to clean up and come upstairs."

"Yes, food!" Varrick immediately started shoving the cards together in an attempt to clean up quicker. "Thanks for playing with me, Izumi. You've been a great fake sister." 

Izumi didn't stop her own cleanup but a smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. "You're welcome. You've been a pretty good fake brother." 

Having handed his cards and dice over to Izumi, Varrick turned to look at Zuko who was still standing in the door. "And you've been a pretty good Papa," he said with a nod. "You got me a super cool room to sleep in and let me have yummy food and didn't tell my dad that I was up late." 

Oddly, the compliment made something feel tight in Zuko's throat. He was pretty sure he was going to miss this kid when he left tomorrow. The energy that he had made the house seem very alive and there was just something very pure about him. "Thank you." 

Varrick flashed both father and daughter a grin, two of his teeth were missing and left gaps, then hopped up and started up the stairs hurriedly. 

When Zuko turned back to Izumi she was putting the game back onto the bookshelf and seemed much like normal. "Tell me about your day," he asked, knowing that it wouldn't take longer than the walk to the kitchen. 

  
\-- 

That night dinner passed uneventfully, much to everyone's relief. Sokka and Varrick sat down and watched some space documentary before it was time for his son to go to bed. Piandao had also joined them and when Varrick had gone to sleep the two of them had gotten into a discussion about the different possibilities of what the universe actually held. 

Given the flight time that Piandao had the next day, Sokka had to say his goodbyes then because he was supposed to be picked up and taken to the airport during the time that Sokka would still be making his trip back from dropping Varrick off. "It was such an honor to meet you, Mr. Piandao."

"And it was an honor to meet you too, Sokka," Piandao offered a smile. "Here, allow me to give you my email so that we might keep in contact."

"Wow." This was more than he could have ever imagined, but Sokka pulled out his phone quickly because there was no way that he was going to turn this opportunity down. "Thank you so much."

"No need to thank me. You're a brilliant mind and I'm happy to think that we'll be in contact again after this," Piandao said genuinely, entering the contact information into his phone. 

Now Sokka was beaming fully, feeling like he'd just gotten the winning goal in a hockey game. "I won't let you down, sir." 

The older man chuckled and handed the phone back. "I'm sure you won't. Goodnight Sokka and thank you for inviting me into your home." 

"Goodnight," he answered and turned, still buzzing with excitement and trying to keep himself from actually skipping up the stairs to Zuko's bedroom. This might be one of the best nights of his life (save you know, marrying Yue or having Varrick). He was so happy that when he entered the room to see Zuko in the midst of putting sheets and pillows onto the couch he stared for a moment, not understanding. "What are you doing?" 

Zuko looked up and seemed confused. "Making the couch for bed?"

For some reason the fact that the other man did not want to share a bed with him again didn't make Sokka feel great. Maybe it was because he'd been the one to say that things would be fine last night and then apparently decided that he needed to sprawl himself over him. But most likely it was because the bed had been very comfortable and he knew that he wasn't going to be as comfortable sleeping on the couch. 

"Right, well, I could have made it up." 

"Why would you make it up if you're sleeping on the bed?" 

Sokka froze. "Why would I be sleeping on your bed? It's your bed."

"You're the guest," Zuko responded as if this was basic knowledge. 

"Technically I'm the employee. You're paying me to be here." It didn't feel right to bring that up and Zuko looked uncomfortable at the knowledge too but it was the strongest argument that he had. "So I definitely should be the one sleeping on the couch." 

"I don't mind sleeping on the couch, Sokka. It's not a big deal, it's just one night." 

"I'm the one who messed up the bed sharing so I should be the one to take the couch." He didn't actually know that he'd consider that he'd 'messed up' the bed sharing but certainly he'd made Zuko uncomfortable enough that he wasn't willing to chance being in the same bed with him again. 

"You weren't- I also-" Zuko cleared his throat after a few false starts. "What I mean to say is that I think that it'd be easier if I just slept here tonight."

"No." There was a firmness in Sokka's voice. 

"No?" Now Zuko was looking at him with a bit of annoyance. "What do you mean no? You can't tell me what to think."

"I'm not telling you what to think, I'm telling you that I'm going to be the one to sleep on the couch if it bothers you that much to share a bed with me." 

"I'm not-" A huff, low and annoyed. "Let me take the couch, Sokka."

Seeing that this was not going to go anywhere, he eyed the couch and Zuko, looking between them quickly and then making a dash for it so that he could lay across the couch. Despite his surprise, Zuko did try to stop him but Sokka was able to maneuver himself onto the cushions. "Guess I'm sleeping here." 

Blinking, Zuko opened his mouth and then set his face in a glare. "You're ridiculous, you know that?" 

Feeling emboldened by the win, Sokka gave a wink. "So I've been told." 

The other man didn't seem to know what to do with that and stood there for a moment before he turned, grumbling, and walked straight out of the room. What he was saying, Sokka couldn't fully make out but he caught the words 'stubborn' and 'trying to be nice'. 

Since the coast was clear, he got up to use the bathroom and get changed into his make-shift pajamas before settling down onto the couch. Zuko didn't come back for a while after that, not until Sokka was half asleep as he scrolled through his twitter timeline and then he didn't acknowledge Sokka at all when he got into the bed. 

Sokka was right though, it had been a lot more comfortable to be on the bed. Still, the couch was more comfortable than his own would have been and he managed to fall asleep sometime before he had the night before without the thoughts of his adequacy as a father weighing on his mind. 

\-- 

The next morning started like usual for Zuko though something felt a bit off as he turned off the alarm and he realized it was the sound of light snoring coming from inside the room. 

Sokka. 

Somehow, it wasn't as nice to wake up with him in the room but not near him. Less awkward though. Quietly, he turned off his alarm and got started on his day. He saw Sokka at breakfast, Varrick sitting there as well, happily chatting about what he wanted to do with his day at school. The picture they made at the table, with Izumi only half listening as she ate, was nice and made something warm bloom in his chest.

For some reason, Piandao was not at the table, though Zuko had set aside food for him in case he decided that he wanted to join them. His absence though, allowed for this familial scene that he wouldn't have otherwise been able to enjoy. 

"Well, guess we're off to school," Sokka said after Varrick had finished his breakfast, standing up and giving a smile. "I'll see you after I drop him off to get everything squared away." 

Varrick sighed forlornly as he looked at the table. "Bye. Thank you again for everything. I'll never forget this." There was a touch of drama that only children could accomplish with it sounding so genuine. 

"We won't either," Zuko assured the boy who sighed and nodded. 

"Bye Varrick," Izumi looked up to give him a rare genuine smile. 

And then they were gone, leaving Izumi and Zuko to themselves. His daughter would have to get going soon too but for now, they were just the two of them. "Zumi, I want to thank you again," he said, reaching out and taking her hand with a gentle squeeze. "We're expecting good news out of all this and we couldn't have done it without you."

"I know," she answered simply, sounding frighteningly like Azula for a moment. "By the way, can I go out with Cindy on Friday?" 

"Zumi, you know that we were going to-" he started and then stopped at the look that she was giving him. Yes, they'd had plans for the two of them to go see a movie together in theaters but she clearly knew that he still owed her and so he sighed. "Yes." 

Now she stood, giving a winning smile and pressing a kiss to his cheek. "Thanks, dad. I'll see you tonight." 

"See you tonight. Be safe," he called after her with a sigh. Well, he supposed that she could have asked for worse. 

Sitting at the table he finished his tea and wondered how strange it was going to be to say goodbye to Sokka once he got back. How did one say goodbye to the fake husband that they had accidentally snuggled with the day before? Especially when they were going to see one another at work again? He didn't think there was a proper etiquette for it but he was almost tempted to Google it. 

"Mr. Sozin?" 

Zuko jumped in surprise, realizing that Piandao was sitting next to him at the table and he hadn't even realized his coming. "Sorry, I was just lost in thought. I have a plate in the kitchen for you if you'd like me to bring it out."

"That would be lovely, but I had something that I wanted to discuss with you first," Mr. Piandao answered and his voice was the one that he'd been using when they spoke business. 

In his chest, Zuko's heart pounded faster. "Of course," he answered, his voice steady. Had he read things wrong? Was he about to be told that there was going to be no offer of purchase? 

"I was on the phone with the board and we're all in agreement that we're ready to purchase." 

The air left his lungs for a moment. Azula should have been here to hear the news in person at the same time with him but he couldn't even feel that bad about it because he was so excited to hear this. "That's fantastic." His professionalism suffered a bit with the way that he was grinning. 

"We figured that it would be best to get things squared away while I'm still here. I've got some lawyers that will be flying over and of course I am happy to go and stay at a hotel with them but I was wondering if I might be able to remain here for the duration of my stay?"

Wait. What? All of the joy that he'd felt before had frozen and he was sure that it must have shown on his face. 

"Nevermind, I can see that I ask too much. I don't want to intrude-"

"No! No, of course it's not intruding!" Zuko hurried, almost tripping over his words because he wanted to do everything right to get this done but what the hell was he supposed to do. Sokka was going back to his house tonight. He hadn't even considered that he'd need him around for longer and he had no clue if the other man would be willing to say yes. "How much longer would you be staying?"

"We planned to fly back on the 25th." 

Two weeks. Another two weeks. His heart had completely stopped beating. What the hell was he going to do?

"I understand if you need to speak to your husband about continuing to have a house guest for so long," Piandao said soothingly. 

"Sokka loves having you here. I'm certain that he won't mind." He gave a smile that he hoped was convincing. It didn't feel like it with how hard he was forcing it. "If you don't mind though... I'm just going to go and call him to tell him the good news. And uh, I'll cancel the car I suppose."

When he walked out of the room, he stared at the photo of Sokka and Varrick hanging on the wall and wondered what in the world he'd just gotten himself into.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who has left comments and kudos. 
> 
> I hope everyone has had a good holiday season (if there are holidays you've celebrated) and that you all are keeping safe. 
> 
> As always, feel free to come yell at me on tumblr   
> [ambykinns](ambykinns.tumblr.com)


	6. a new offer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zuko has to try and convince Sokka to keep up the charade a little longer.

During the drive to school that morning Varrick asked if they were going to stay friends with Zuko and Izumi, which Sokka didn't have an answer for. Perhaps. He didn't mind the idea of keeping in contact but he wondered how realistic it was considering that Zuko was literally his boss. For the moment, he told his son that they'd see because he didn't want to crush his hope.

"Can we at least eat out tonight so we can have one more good meal before we go back to your cooking?"

Sokka stared at his son for a long, silent moment. Wow. Did he have to just drag him like that? "We'll see," he repeated.

Varrick sighed as they got to the front of the drop off line. "Bye dad. Love you," he said before he hopped out of the car and jogged toward the entrance.

"Love you. Have a good day."

Since he wasn't in a hurry, Sokka decided to swing by Tim Horton's and grab himself an iced coffee to enjoy on his drive back into the city. After all, he didn't have work to do today and he did want a couple of extra minutes with the nice car. He was just pulling out of the drive through when his phone started to ring. He thought about ignoring it, but then he saw that it was Zuko and pulled off into the side of the parking lot to talk.

"Hello?"

"Hey Sokka. Umm, can we talk for a moment?" There was a nervous edge to Zuko's voice that didn't make sense.

"Sure. I'm pulled over, shoot." Did Varrick break something int he room that he was staying in and now Zuko found it and he wanted to dock part of the payment that he was due to receive because of it? It'd suck but hopefully it hadn't been anything too expensive.

"So, uh- Piandao is going to be staying a little bit longer. He switched his flight."

Was Zuko asking him to continue on with this fake marriage? Of course that's what he was calling for. It wasn't like he could just say that Sokka had vanished after taking Varrick to school today. "Okay. How much longer?"

"He's planning on leaving the 25th." Zuko's voice was smaller now, rushed and quiet.

The 25th? Sokka looked at the radio display on the car. It was the 11th today. That was an additional two weeks. And he was supposed to head up north on the 20th to be with his family over Varrick's winter break, the way that they did every year. "Zuko, I have plans-"

"I know it's Christmas and you probably want to see your family but I really can't just tell him I was lying and-" It sounded like the other man might be on the verge of a panic attack with the way that his breathing was picking up and his words tumbling out.

"It's not about Christmas," Sokka interrupted. "We don't even celebrate. I just- during winter break we always go up to see my family and Yue's. I work remote during that time and since all the kids are out of school anyway we all get together."

There was a pause on the other end of the line, the only thing Sokka could hear was Zuko's breathing as if he was trying to calm himself down. Sokka didn't speak, just waited to see if the other man had any suggestions. "What if... we say that you're still leaving on the 20th to go spend time with Yue's family and Izumi and I will join you later?"

A beat then, "That could work."

Even without being able to see him the relief on the line was palpable. "Okay, okay. I'll tell him you'll be leaving on the 20th but you're happy to have him stay. And Azula can draw up the new contract for you."

"New contract?"

"Yes," Zuko spoke slowly as if explaining a simple concept to a child. "Obviously the old one doesn't cover this sort of extension. And there is the additional payment."

"Additional payment?" Sokka thought that the money he'd already received still evened out. A thousand dollars a week and he was still getting his regular pay from work.

"I was thinking ten."

"Ten?!" Sokka's voice choked around the number. He could almost pay two years of McGill for Varrick with that much.

Zuko didn't seem to get the idea. "Ten thousand, of course. But, you're right, this is too much to ask you last minute. Fifteen thousand."

Sokka dropped his phone, staring out the windshield and suddenly feeling very glad that he'd decided to stay in the parking lot for this conversation.

Fifteen thousand dollars.

He could wipe out all of his remaining debt. He could put it in a high interest savings account and wait until Varrick needed it for schooling. He could invest some of it and put the rest in a high interest savings account for Varrick's schooling.

"Sokka? Sokka? Are you still there?" Zuko's voice was loud from where the phone had been dropped into his lap.

Hurriedly, he picked it up. "Yeah, sorry. Sorry, I'm here. I'll do it. I'll stay on."

"Are you sure fifteen will be sufficient? If you really-"

"No, I'm sure!" If he almost shouted the words he couldn't be blamed.

He didn't know what he'd do if Zuko started offering him more money. Sure, the guy was loaded and honestly he could due to give away some more of his money probably but there were people who could use it more than he could. Plus, he didn't really feel like he was doing anything to earn it. Sure, Zuko hadn't exactly done anything to earn all his wealth except winning the birth lottery but he had to put his foot down. If he got more than fifteen thousand dollars from him he wouldn't know what to do with himself.

"Okay, well, I guess I'll see you back home?" Zuko cleared his throat on the other end of the line.

"Yeah, yeah I'll see you there. Bye." After he hung up the phone he stared ahead and sat in the parking lot for a minute longer just trying to process what had happened.

What the hell was happening in his life?

\--

"Fifteen?" Azula's voice was high and sharp on the other end of the phone.

Zuko knew that his sister wasn't going to be thrilled by his offer to Sokka but he'd been a bit panicked that he wasn't going to say yes and the whole deal was going to fall through. Fifteen thousand wasn't that much in the face of what they stood to make. "He wasn't saying yes, Azula. What did you want me to do? Go and tell Piandao that we hired someone to pretend to be my family so that we'd make a good impression but we didn't want to pay to keep him on?" he hissed into the phone. "I did what I had to do to keep things up."

"I could have gotten him to settle for ten," she huffed on the other end.

"I'm sure that you could have, but you weren't the one who had to talk to him. I just need you to draw up the new contract and bring it over so that he can sign it." He glanced at the photo of young Izumi on his lap and sighed as he thought about having to tell his daughter of the prolongation of this act. She was not going to be happy. "He'll be here until the 20th and then-"

"He's not even staying the whole time? No, tell him that he's got to stay to see him off." She'd pulled out her business voice, the one that people were meant to listen to. "If we're paying him for husband performance we can't just let him off the hook early."

"I'm not going to tell him that he can't go see his late wife's family, Azula. That'd be cruel and I already told Piandao who thinks it's very honorable of Sokka to keep Varrick involved with his mother's family." The older man had actually seemed genuinely touched and completely understood. "Said there was nothing more important than family and even offered to move his own flight. I told him that it wasn't necessary and that we liked to let Varrick and Sokka be with his wife's family without making things awkward for anyone involved."

That part at least didn't feel so much like a lie. It was exactly what he would do if this marriage were real. If he'd been able to be in contact with his mother's family after she'd disappeared... well he would have wanted that. He would have wanted some way to keep her alive. Would have wanted a way to feel connected with her.

Azula seemed to sense that this was an argument that was not worth having. Maybe it was just knowing how he felt about their own mother, even if her own feelings were a bit more complex than his. "Whatever," she muttered. "I'll be over later with the new contract. And this payment is coming out of your cut." 

"You're the one who got us into this situation," Zuko pointed out, even though he didn't really care about the money. It was the principle of the thing.

"And you're the one who didn't negotiate. I'll be there later."

There was silence on the other end of the line. Azula had hung up. He couldn't even bring himself to be surprised. Instead, he put down the phone and sat back.

All things considered, telling Azula hadn't gone any differently than expected. It was telling Izumi that was weighing on his mind. As much as she'd seemed to like Varrick, he had no doubt that his daughter was going to be less than pleased with this new information. He didn't want to spring it on her over the phone so he sent her a text letting her know that he was going to come to school to take her out to lunch.

Hopefully that in itself wasn't going to be suspicious. Maybe she'd think he was just trying to buy back her favor. He knew for sure going out with Cindy was not the only thing that he'd end up being asked for from her and honestly, he was a little afraid of what would happen when he dropped the bomb on her this time.

Making his way downstairs, he heard Sokka's voice before he saw him. He was animatedly explaining something. From what he could make out it sounded like the way he'd gotten involved with computers. Piandao was giving the other man his full attention.

When Sokka saw him enter the room, he turned a smile on him. "Hey honey," he said, giving him a wink.

Zuko made his way over to the other man, squeezing his shoulder lightly as he stood behind him. "Hey," he greeted back. "I know I forgot to remind you earlier, but today I'm going to have lunch with Izumi."

Obviously Sokka hadn't known this before but he nodded as if he had already been aware of this. "I remember," he teased, reaching his hand up to cover Zuko's and looking up at him with a look that seemed like it could easily pass for affection. "I was thinking I'd take Mr. Piandao out to one of my favorite spots and spend some time bonding over geeky computer things."

Piandao laughed. "Sounds like my kind of afternoon."

Honestly, Zuko wasn't worried about leaving Sokka alone with Piandao but he had a feeling that Azula wasn't going to be a fan of that idea. He decided, however, that he was not going to step in on that front. Instead, he just gave a soft smile of his own. "I'm sure the two of you will have a great time."

"We'd have a better time if you were there," Sokka flirted shamelessly, if a bit over exaggerated.

Zuko's cheeks flushed and he wondered if the other man was over doing it and making their relationship seem fake. Glancing over at Piandao to gage his reaction, he seemed to be amused.

"Well," Zuko cleared his throat and removed his hand from Sokka's shoulder, suddenly feeling like it had been lingering too long. Part of him missed the warmth of the darker man's "As I said, I'll be having lunch with Izumi today."

"Yeah, I know. We'll just have to miss you today." There was a teasing lit in the way Sokka spoke and he looked amused too.

"Maybe another day," Piandao offered. "After all, there will be plenty of opportunities."

"That's true," Zuko nodded and offered a smile. Plenty of opportunities that he'd just secured in having Sokka agree to stay here.

\--

About the time that Zuko left to go and eat lunch with Izumi, Sokka decided that it was a good idea to get going for lunch with Piandao. Zuko had slipped him a few hundred dollars to 'pay for lunch' which was very excessive because the place that Sokka was planning on taking Piandao to was definitely not going to cost even fifty dollars.

Before they could get out the door though, Azula arrived at the house. Like usual, she looked perfect and was dressed for a day at the office. "Sokka, just the man I was hoping to see. Do you mind if I speak to you privately for a minute?" she asked, clearly not caring about the fact that he and Piandao were in the midst of getting ready to go out.

"Can it wait until after lunch?"

"No." There was no room for argument.

For a moment Sokka stared at her, the two of them in some sort of silent battle of the wills.

"It's okay, Sokka," Piandao spoke up.

Biting back a sigh, Sokka nodded. "Okay, sure."

Azula immediately started upstairs without waiting to see if Sokka was coming with her or not. He did follow, taking the two sets of stairs up to Zuko's office where she seamlessly slid behind his chair and pulled out a set of papers from the briefcase that she'd been carrying.

"This is for you to look over and sign. As you and my brother agreed, you'll be paid fifteen thousand Canadian dollars for your continued assistance until the 20th of December. You will be paid by bank transfer half after signing the contract and the other half when you leave on the 20th."

Sokka read over the document, finding it to be pretty much the same as the original with very minor changes. He grabbed the pen and signed his initials in a few places before signing and dating the bottom. "Happy to be of assistance," he told her dryly.

Azula didn't bother giving him a response for that. "What were you and Piandao planning on doing for lunch?"

"I'm going to take him to one of my favorite places."

She looked at him as if he had grown a second head. "You're picking where you're going to lunch? Absolutely not, I'm coming and I'll get us a table at Toque!"

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, Azula," he said sarcastically. "But Piandao is perfectly happy to go with me to my choice. I've already told him all about it. If you want to go to Toque! though I'm sure you can call someone up to go with you." He stood and went to make his way out of the room.

"No way, I'm coming with you." She stood quickly, taking the contract and putting it in front of Zuko's computer for the time being.

"You're not going to like it." He didn't actually know if that was true, but he couldn't imagine Azula would be a fan of any place that didn't have indoor seating and therefore would require them to eat in the car or standing outside.

"You don't know me," she sniffed, tilting her head up. "I'm going and there's nothing you can do to stop me."

"Suit yourself."

\--

When Zuko pulled up to Izumi's school she was already waiting for him, just inside the entryway and she quickly exited with bag in hand when his car pulled up. He smiled at his daughter as she she got herself into the passenger's seat.

"Hey Zumi," he greeted her with a smile. "How is your day going?"

"Fine," she answered with a shrug. "Where are we headed?"

"I got us a reservation at La Louisiane." It was one of Izumi's favorite restaurants in the city.

She smiled even as she looked at him. "Cool."

The rest of the short drive to the restaurant passed in silence, the radio the only sound in the car until they'd reached their destination. With the reservation they were seated instantly and a waitress came over to ask about their drink orders before they even had the chance to pick up the menu. Not that either of them needed it.

Still, it wasn't until the drinks were brought back and they'd placed their orders that he decided to chance starting the conversation. "There was something that I did want to talk to you about, Izumi."

She didn't look surprised at this turn of events. "You want to ask out Sokka on a real date?"

For a moment he was stunned and could only shake his head. "Wha- wher- where did you get that idea?"

"I mean, it's obvious that you're attracted to him. You blushed practically every time he gave you the littlest peck on the cheek." She shrugged and took a drink out of her water glass.

"I do- I did not," he argued.

His daughter gave him a look that only a teenager could manage, with a staggering amount of sass. He saw her mouth the word 'okay' and roll her eyes to the side as she reached to take another drink out of her glass.

"But," he continued, feeling a bit warmer. "That's not actually what I wanted to talk to you about."

Now she looked somewhat intrigued. "Okay, what did you want to talk to me about?"

"Mr. Piandao has decided to purchase the company."

"That's good news." She did actually look somewhat cheered by this announcement.

He wished that it had been the end of the announcement so that they could just use this lunch to celebrate together. "It is," he agreed. "The only thing is, he wants to get everything sorted out as quickly as possible."

Izumi's brown eyes narrowed at him. "You're not cancelling our trip to see Uncle Iroh are you?" she demanded, her tone suddenly much colder.

"No!" He wished that she wouldn't attempt to guess. "It's just, Mr. Piandao is going to be staying for a couple more weeks."

A flutter of emotions crossed her face. Relief, surprise, understanding, finally settling into annoyance. "You're saying we've got to keep this charade up."

"Only until the 20th. Sokka and Varrick will be going to visit Varrick's mother's family at that point and then, the last five days will just be the two of us." If asked, he'd have to admit that he was pleading with his daughter to understand.

She looked at him with a frown. "I want to spend the night at Cindy's house on Friday too, then," she spoke after a few moments of silence.

Usually he didn't like letting her stay the night at other people's houses. It just made him sleep better to know that his daughter was home under his own roof.

Still, she had the upper hand here and clearly knew it. With a reluctant sigh he nodded. "Okay, you can stay the night at Cindy's on Friday."

The rest of the meal passed in a lot of silence and stilted conversations where Zuko tried to get her to open up about everything and she pointedly ignored him. All in all, it could have gone a lot better.

\--

Perhaps it was a bit petty, but it did make Sokka amused to see Azula sitting in the backseat looking so clearly unhappy. He'd tried to tell her that she didn't have to come along but she was the one who had insisted and now she was paying the price.

Ever the gentleman, Mr. Piandao had offered to let her have the front seat and take the back himself but Azula would not have it and insisted that she sit in the back. That left her removed from the conversation while Sokka and Piandao discussed the newest innovations in coding for the entire drive to The Roundhouse Cafe. She seemed to pass her ride on the phone, frantically typing things with the click of her nails against the screen and Sokka paid her little mind besides when his eyes caught on her.

"Where's the restaurant?" Azula asked when they'd parked on the side of the road.

Sokka nodded toward the small building with a simple, unassuming plaque above it. "Here it is."

She stared and then looked at Sokka as if she was waiting for him to let her know that it was a joke. It wasn't.

"The only Indigenous Cafe in the city," Sokka spoke proudly. "The fry bread here is great. I mean, it's not as good as my Gran Gran's but that's a tall order."

"There's nowhere to sit," she glanced around as if a place might magically appear.

"We'll eat in the car." It was hard not to smile at the look of horror that crossed the woman's face. Sokka doubted that Azula had ever considered taking an important businessman to a restaurant that forced them to eat in the car.

"I'm excited to hear if it lives up to your rave reviews," Piandao spoke up, interrupting the stand off. "What do you recommend, Sokka?"

As he led the way over to window to order he thought carefully. "Depends on what you're in the mood for. Everything is excellent. The Totem Pole Sandwich is one of my favorites but the Indian Taco is sometimes just perfect. I might go for the Salmon Burger today though."

Piandao nodded thoughtfully and after a few minutes all of them placed their orders. The Salmon Burger for Sokka, Totem Pole for Piandao, and the Vegetarian Sandwich for Azula and waters for all of them. Sokka paid with one of the hundred dollar bills that Zuko had given him and told them to consider the change a donation, knowing that they worked with homeless populations and feeling glad to give the money toward such a cause.

Unsurprisingly, both Azula and Piandao enjoyed their meals thoroughly, just as Sokka knew that they would. It wasn't a complicated place, nor did it have an extensive menu but the food was good and he wanted to support the place.

"Is there a shopping center around here?" Piandao asked once they'd finished. "I am afraid I didn't pack for a stay this long and I'd like to pick up some more items."

"Yes, there's one very close by," Azula answered. "Not a far drive at all."

And so their outing for lunch turned into a shopping trip. Which lasted long enough that Sokka was worried he wasn't going to make it in time to pick up Varrick.

Apparently sensing his worry, Azula turned to him. "I can get us back home. Go pick up Varrick."

"Thanks," he said, somewhat surprised that she'd realized it without him saying. In response all he got was a casual shrug.

After only a couple of days, it felt oddly normal to make the mid-day drive to pick up Varrick in the rented car despite the fact that he knew he should not be getting used to it at all. Still, he was in a good mood.

He wasn't the only one, when Varrick saw Sokka waving at him from the rented car, his face lit up before he got in. "Does this mean we're staying?" he demanded.

"Mr. Piandao is going to be staying in Montreal a little bit longer," Sokka explained. "So yes, we will continue to be staying with Zuko until we leave to see your _aataq_ and _aanaq_."

"This is gonna be the best pre-winter break ever," Varrick sighed. "I can't wait to see what Ty Lee is coming for dinner tonight."

Sokka laughed because honestly, neither could he.

\--

Zuko returned to an empty house, which he figured meant that lunch between Sokka and Piandao probably was taking longer for lunch than he had. It wouldn't be surprising, as the two of them tended to fall into easy conversation that might cause them to linger somewhere.

When, after an hour of his arrival back, he still hadn't heard anything he started wondering what was going on.

_Is everything okay?_ he texted Sokka.

There was a everything _is fine. piandao wanted to buy some things so azula and i took him to mtl trust._

_Azula is with you?_

_she insisted on coming to lunch and apparently now shopping. i think we'll be here a while._

Content that nothing was amiss, he shot back a text to Sokka and then decided to email his travel agent to see about the trip that he wanted to take Izumi on and how he could make it extra special before settling into his emails.

Izumi was the first to return that day, followed by Piandao and Azula and finally Sokka and Varrick. He'd been heading down with Azula to see her out when the father and son arrived. It was easy to see that the boy was excited because he ran straight toward Zuko when he got in and gave him a large hug, almost knocking him over in the process.

"What's this for?" he wondered aloud, looking at Sokka with a raised eyebrow.

"You know," Varrick winked.

For a moment, Zuko stood confused. Did Sokka tell him about the money? Had Sokka promised something to Varrick with it and he wanted to thank Zuko in some misguided way? He wasn't following the logic.

Luckily, it seemed that Sokka was willing to take mercy on him because he chuckled and made his way over to the other man, pressing a kiss on his cheek and then turning his head so quietly speaking toward Zuko's ear. "He's happy we're staying," he explained. "Wasn't ready to give up Ty Lee's cooking."

The way that Sokka's voice sounded, so quiet and so close that his breath was easily felt on his ear. It made Zuko want to shiver but he managed to stop himself from doing so. Barely. "I don't think he's the only one," he answered, trying to keep his tone light. It didn't help that his mind was wandering to dangerous places, to what it would feel like to have Sokka's lips pressed against his ear.

He'd gone too long without getting involved with anyone, that was becoming evident.

Sokka pulled back and when he looked at him there was something slightly different in his expression though Zuko couldn't say what it was. The other man simply gave his shoulder a squeeze and then turned toward his son. "Come on, Var. Let's go get your homework done."

The two of them made their way toward the stairs and Zuko found himself looking after them.

"Well then," Azula spoke up, drawing Zuko's attention over to her. She was wearing a knowing smirk that he did not like or appreciate.

"No one asked you," he snapped back.

"I didn't even say anything." She didn't bother wiping the superior look off of her face.

"You didn't need to."

"That's because you're being so obvious."

"I am not."

"Are too."

Zuko closed his eyes, took in a breath and reminded himself that he and Azula were no longer children. Therefore, he was not going to allow himself to get caught up in the same sort of petty argument about who was right and who was wrong. No. They were grown adults and he was better than this.

He was calm. He was collected. He was a father.

He was opening his eyes and seeing her smirking at him and he was still annoyed. "Get out of my house," he told her, pointing toward the direction of the door. There was no bite in the command but he meant it.

"Sure thing." Her voice rose in a high tone and she was overly cheerful.

The fuck you was heavily implied.

\--

That evening when it came time for bed, Sokka decided that he and Zuko were going to have to have a talk because now they were looking at an additional nine nights to figure out the sleeping arrangements. He didn't change into his pajamas but simply waited for the other man to show up, texting Suki from the couch.

_Are you still going to make time for me mr moneybags? or do I need to worry about you finding new upper class friends? ;)_ she taunted.

_aww sukes you know that i'd never turn my back on you, even if i am living the life of luxury right now_ 😎 he texted back quickly. but i might be too high class to be seen with you in public

_wow, how quickly money has changed you_ 🙄

_it's my terrible burden to bear_

As he finished the last text Zuko made his way into the room and Sokka set his phone aside, knowing that Suki would understand if he didn't answer her back right away.

"So, I think we need to sort out sleeping arrangements for the rest of the time." Beating around the bush didn't serve a point.

"I can sleep on the couch," Zuko answered easily. As if he had already thought about it.

"You aren't gonna sleep on the couch for over a week in your own house just because I'm here," Sokka rolled his eyes. "It's a comfortable couch but it's not that comfortable."

"What do you suggest then?" There was challenge in his voice. "A trade off?"

"Actually, I was thinking that we could try sharing the bed again," Sokka replied. Seeing the way that Zuko's face immediately changed at the suggestion, he hurried to continue on. "I know things got a bit... close, last time. However, I have come up with some solutions to make sure that you won't be uncomfortable."

"Solutions?" There was a heavy note of skepticism and Zuko's arms crossed in front of him. Sokka tried not to notice the way those arms looked good in the rolled up sleeves of the crisp button up the other man wore.

"Yes," he answered, snapping his eyes back toward the other's face. "Number one: we could build a pillow wall in the middle of the bed to keep us each on our own side."

"A pillow wall?"

"Okay, you do not need to sound like it's the worst idea you've ever heard. I'm sure there are enough pillows here to keep it from being impossible." Huffing out a sigh, Sokka took his hair down, running a hand through the strands. "Or, if you're so anti-pillow wall. We could just have one of us sleep on top of the covers and one underneath."

"Wouldn't the one on top of the blankets get cold?" Zuko's voice sounded a little odd, tighter somehow.

"We could just do it with the sheet. One of us under, one over and both of us could have the covers."

"I don't know..." Zuko chewed on his bottom lip in thought.

"Obviously I don't want to do anything to make you uncomfortable," Sokka said. "I just think we'd both sleep better if we're sleeping in the bed."

"I don't want to make you uncomfortable either," Zuko answered.

"I wasn't uncomfortable last time," Sokka admitted before he could think enough to stop himself. Once he realized what he'd said, he looked away quickly. "I mean- I just don't think it was that big of a deal. Like, I'm sorry that I made you uncomfortable but I wasn't that bothered by it, really."

"Oh."

A painfully awkward silence followed. Great, his big mouth had gotten him into some trouble now hadn't it? Why couldn't he just shut up and have taken Zuko's suggestion for the two of them to switch off on the couch or just said anything else. Things were already weird enough and now he was out here making them even weirder. 

However, when Sokka chanced a quick look up at Zuko he looked confused though not unhappy, so little victories.

"I guess we could try the sheet thing," the other man spoke after some more weighted silence had passed. "If, uh, that's still on the table."

Relieved that he didn't make things unbelievably awkward for the rest of the time that he'd be there, Sokka smiled and nodded. "Yeah, it's still on the table."

Things were going to work out, he could feel it. And, if there was something in him that sparked at the idea of being able to share a bed with Zuko again... well that was his business, wasn't it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the slight delay. I hope everyone who celebrated had a wonderful holiday season. 
> 
> In real life the Roundhouse Cafe is only open May-October because, you know, winters in Canada are awful. But for the purpose of the story I decided to have it be open all year round. They do take donations and have a meal solidarity card option where you can buy meals for people. It's actually really cool if anyone is interested in checking it out: https://itineraire.ca/roundhouse-cafe/
> 
> As always, you can find me on tumblr @ambykinns


	7. old port

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zuko and Sokka decide to go take Piandao out to see the city.

Zuko couldn't say that he was surprised when he woke up in the morning and found that despite the fact that he and Sokka had done the sheet trick, they were still cuddled close together. Though this time it was more of a spooning position, somehow they'd both ended up toward the middle of the bed again. He was laying on his right side and slotted behind him was Sokka, his breathing deep and slow and his arm wrapped securely around him, keeping him pressed close. The sheet did provide an additional layer between the two of them. 

It felt... nice. Warm. He was tempted to close his eyes and just fall back asleep but a glance at the clock on his bedside table told him that his alarm would be sounding in less than five minutes anyway. 

But then, Sokka was still sleeping. It wasn't like he'd know if he just kept himself where he was for the next five minutes... 

He allowed himself to do so, figuring that it would only be awkward if Sokka woke up and found out about this. It'd been too long since he'd been involved with anyone, let himself be held like this, let himself be taken care of. He was too busy, running a company, trying to be around for Izumi. 

Izumi, who right now was upset with him because she hated having to pretend that their family was anything other than the two of them. Izumi, who also had seemed to be on board with the idea of him possibly asking Sokka out. 

Not that he would. No. It'd be far too awkward. Sure, he wouldn't be his boss or anything but well, how did one even ask out someone that they'd been pretending to be married to?

No. It just wasn't meant to be.

Still, that did mean that she wouldn't be opposed if he did start dating once he had more time to do so. Maybe not right away though, he didn't want her to think that he was unhappy with their life together. He'd never regretted their small family. It was perfect. Izumi was the perfect daughter and he wouldn't trade the life they'd made for anything.

It just, it also felt so nice to be here. To pretend for a few minutes that someone did want to go to sleep with him at night and wake up with him in the mornings. That, someone, wanted to hold him close and couldn't stop themselves from doing so. It'd feel better if it wasn't all a sham. 

When the alarm went off, he carefully extracted himself from Sokka's grip. Luckily it seemed that he wasn't waking up this time and though the other man made a sleepy-sounding grumble, he just rolled over to his other side and his heavy breathing continued. 

Breathing a sigh of relief, Zuko turned to head to the bathroom, deciding then and there that he wasn't going to let Sokka know that the sheet thing had failed. 

After all, he'd said that he wasn't uncomfortable with the cuddling that had happened before. And as long as Sokka didn't know that Zuko was kind of glad to have woken up cuddled to him... well then he didn't have anything to be uncomfortable about either. 

\--

Sokka woke up alone that day to his alarm. Sitting up, he pushed his hair out of his face where the strands had fallen and glanced around the room groggily. It seemed that Zuko had woken without any issue so he assumed that the two of them had managed to make the sheet trick work. 

If there was a twinge of something in his gut he didn't know what it was and he wasn't about to examine it because he needed to start his day so that he could get breakfast before he had to take Varrick to school. Sure, he didn't have to go to work or anything but the rush hour traffic into the city on the way back in wasn't something that he was looking forward to having more of. 

This morning, unlike the previous one, Piandao was present for breakfast. Things were quiet though, not much conversation taking place. 

"Mr Sozin, I was thinking," Piandao spoke, breaking the silence. "There isn't any business to conduct until my partners arrive tomorrow. Perhaps you and your husband might show me around the sights of the city today?"

Zuko looked up from where he'd been staring at his plate. "Of course." The answer was so quick that Sokka wondered if he'd even thought it through. 

"My favorite place is the planetarium," Varrick announced with a smile. "Can we go this weekend?" 

"We'll see," Sokka answered, maybe defaulting to his own typical answers. 

For a moment Varrick pouted, but Sokka gave him a look that meant that he wasn't going to get his way just from making such a face. 

Then his son, the little devious genius that he was, turned to look at Zuko with the same puppy dog eyes, "Papa?"

Zuko looked startled for a moment and looked to Sokka in panic, who shook his head lightly. 

"Please?" 

"I-" Zuko was trying not to meet Varrick's eyes. "Your dad said maybe?" The way that he questioned it at the end did not instill much confidence in him. "But uh, it has been a while since I've gone so..."

Varrick's face lit in a grin. "You're the best, Papa!" he cried as he moved to give a hug to the other man. 

Zuko jumped a little at the sudden display of affection but wrapped his arms around Varrick, looking up to see Sokka staring at him with a set face and a slight glare. The other man cringed a little and mouthed 'sorry' over the top of the boy's head. 

Across from him, Izumi snorted softly into her tea and Piandao was looking away from the scene entirely. 

With a sigh, Sokka stood. "Come on Varrick, let's get your backpack it's time for school." 

On his way out of the room, he used his hand to make a symbol to let Zuko know that he'd be watching him. He only felt a little bad when he saw the other look genuinely like he'd fucked up. 

The thing was, it wasn't that big of a deal to go to the planetarium this weekend. It was more about the fact that Zuko definitely didn't have the right to undermine his parenting. He knew that it wasn't that serious and that he probably even hadn't meant to do it, that it was more a panicked reaction and not knowing how to deal with Varrick. 

Hell, maybe that was how he usually handled Izumi's requests. Either way, he knew that he'd be speaking to his fake husband a little later in the day about why it was uncool of him to have practically agreed that they'd go to the planetarium right after Sokka had given Varrick an answer. 

Not that his son was getting off without talking to either. Once they were in the car, he spoke up. "Varrick, you can't just ask Zuko because you don't like my answer."

"Well he's supposed to be my papa too," Varrick reasoned. "I don't see why I shouldn't ask him."

"He's not really your dad!" 

Varrick offered a shrug that had Sokka counting to five because he swore his child was way too smart for his own good. "I still have final say. Don't do that again." 

"Okay." 

Spirits only knew if his son was actually telling the truth or not. 

\--

Zuko texted Azula to let her know that they were just going to be showing Piandao around the city today and that she didn't have to come over. She texted back informing him that it was fine because someone had to run the company if he wasn't going to be doing it. Truthfully, he was more worried that he'd upset Sokka by overstepping with Varrick. He sighed as he settled back into the chair in the living room, trying to work out how he could apologize to Sokka. 

"You know," Piandao had been in the room as well, sitting on the couch reading the newspaper. "I never had to deal with the blending of two families together when I married my husband, but I imagine that it's not easy." 

Zuko felt bad, knowing that he was lying to Mr. Piandao about everything. Still, right now at least it didn't' feel that big of a stretch to sigh. "It's not." 

"I'm sure that Sokka will forgive you. It doesn't seem like he was that upset." 

"I hope not. It's just... Varrick looked so genuinely excited about going and it was hard to say no." Especially to something so harmless. He'd folded in the same way that he'd always done with Izumi when she turned her eyes to him and begged for something that posed no real harm to give her. 

"He certainly is a cute kid." Piandao sounded somewhat fond as he spoke and Zuko couldn't blame him. 

"Yeah, he really is," he agreed. 

They lapsed into silence again and Zuko continued to feel the weight of his fear that Sokka was going to be very upset with him. Especially as he put himself into the other man's shoes. What would he have done if Sokka had been the one to act like that with Izumi? 

He would have been upset, undoubtedly. Had been upset when Azula went against something that he said already. As a fellow parent, he should have known better and he resolved to apologize when he had a moment to do so. 

in fact, he was going to make the moment. 

When Sokka returned and he heard the alarm indicate that the door was opening, he stood and gave Piandao a smile. "Excuse me a moment."

They met in the stairway since Sokka was heading up and Zuko was heading down to meet him. They almost ran smack into each other and Zuko found himself reaching out to steady a hand on Sokka's shoulder. 

It was a strong shoulder and Zuko found himself wondering if Sokka worked out. Then, realizing that he was gripping onto it he swiftly reached his hand with a faint flush. 

"I wanted to apologize. About what happened with Varrick," he said quickly. "It wasn't really my place to imply anything after you didn't agree."

For a moment Sokka looked at him in silence and then nodded. "I appreciate your apology. It's not all your fault, Varrick did sort of sneak attack you."

"Still. I wouldn't have appreciated it if someone did that with Izumi, so sorry."

Sokka offered a smile. "Come on, man. It's water under the bridge. Let's go figure out what we're doing with Piandao today."

"I was thinking we could show him Old Port? It's not snowing and the weather says it's actually supposed to be sunny and kind of warm." Zuko offered. "Maybe go to the Fine Arts Museum after?" There were a lot of places that were nice in the summer and some even in the winter if you wanted to go be active but he didn't think that was what Piandao had had in mind when he suggested that he see some of the city. 

Sokka looked at him for a moment and then gave a half shrug. "Sure."

"If you have better ideas, I'm listening." 

"Nah, not that would be appropriate or open during this time of day," Sokka admitted. "Or year even, for that matter." 

What would Sokka consider the highlights if he had no parameters? Zuko wondered as he turned to make his way back to where he'd left Piandao. It wasn't a conversation for now.

They all settled in for the time being, relaxing until things would start to open up. Piandao asked Sokka how his drive was and the two of them chatted about commutes and then podcasts that they liked to listen to while Zuko sat back and watched them. 

Really was there anyone better than they could have had than Sokka for this task? Truthfully, he didn't believe in fate or anything akin to it, but Sokka had managed to endear himself to Piandao in a way that Zuko doubted anyone else could have. They'd really lucked out in having Varrick end up at the office that day.

\-- 

There was a brief moment of uncertainty of what to do when Sokka found himself walking next to Zuko. He'd known that if he'd been with Yue, his hand would have found its way either around her shoulder or holding her own but for one thing, they were sort of still supposed to be somewhat professional around Piandao and for another, he didn't know how Zuko was going to feel about that. 

His hand lingered near Zuko's as he tried to figure out what he should do. 

It seemed that Piandao noticed his struggle because he smiled at Sokka indulgently. "Please don't feel like you can't hold hands in front of me," he said, somewhat teasingly. "I don't mind. In fact, it's always nice when my husband and I see other queer couples out and about behaving like any heterosexual couple would. It wasn't always that that could be the case." 

Given that Sokka had never really had a boyfriend before, he hadn't ever experienced what Piandao was saying but Zuko seemed to get it. So Sokka wrapped his mittened hand around Zuko's gloved one and the two of them stayed linked together as they began their exploration. 

As it turned out, Zuko was a surprisingly good tour guide. He'd been down to the Old Port more than once in his time living in the city, but to be honest he hadn't bothered to learn all that much history. Sure, he'd picked up some information here and there, as one might, but Zuko seemed to know a lot of fun little trivia to give Piandao as they walked along the streets. 

The sun was shining and it wasn't too cold, but certainly, there was not the sort of tourist presence there would be in the summer. The place was often very busy when it was warm and there was an energy about it that made you feel that despite being somewhere so old, it felt like the rest of the city. The history was easy to overlook, at least it had been when he'd walked along with ice cream and Varrick's hand in his own as they strolled along the cobblestone streets and then down along the St. Laurence. 

For once, Sokka was the one that was quieter. Until they dipped into an Inuit art gallery at Piandao's guidance and that's when it became Sokka's turn to speak up. While he'd never been to the place before, he had to admit that seeing the art did fill him with a sense of pride at the beauty of the pieces that were on display. 

"I'm not much of an artist myself," he admitted to the other men who were looking to him with interest. "But I can explain a few things about the symbolism and materials. If you want to know more I'm sure one of the workers would probably know better."

"Let's hear from you first," Piandao suggested. 

So he told them about the differences between _inukshuk_ and _inunnguaq_ , the stone sculptures that marked landscapes up north. That the _inunnguaq_ was shaped as a person and had a spiritual meaning, that the _inukshuk_ was any other rock sculpture and had more of a practical purpose whether it be guiding people, hiding objects, or helping with hunting. He told them what little he knew about The Dancing Bear and its connections to spiritual healing. 

It got him off onto topics of what it'd been like growing up in Nunavik, about the history and culture and trying to preserve it despite everything that had been done to make sure that said culture was lost. He almost found himself talking about his fears about raising Varrick away from his home but he managed to be cut off from that line of thought by a member of the gallery coming over to ask if there was anything that they needed help with. 

"I think we're good," Sokka answered for everyone. 

"I actually had a question about a piece," Zuko spoke and then pulled the employee off toward some of the pieces that they'd seen earlier. 

Sokka shrugged and turned back to Piandao who was looking at him. "It sounds like you miss your family and your home a lot." 

"I do." There was no denying it. "But, unfortunately, there just weren't the opportunities there for what I wanted to do. I try to go back as much as possible. That's why we spend winter breaks up there, March break, sometime in the summer. Of course, we facetime with my dad and with Yue's parents and my sister but it's not the same as being there."

"I'm sure that they miss you too." 

Sokka gave a smile and a short chuckle. "Maybe Varrick more."

Piandao laughed as well. "It's not a surprise that they'd have a soft spot for the boy." 

"No, no it isn't." As much as his son could drive him mad, he loved him with his whole heart and there was nothing that he wouldn't do for him. 

They admired a bit more artwork before Zuko came over. "You ready to leave?"

"Are you?" Sokka returned the question. 

"Yes." 

"Okay, let's go." 

They made their way outside again and kept up their little tour of the area. Zuko giving more facts as they did so. 

Sokka caught sight of the observation wheel up ahead and suddenly had an idea. "We should go on the sky wheel thing! I've never done it before." 

"You haven't?" Zuko sounded somewhat surprised. 

"No, I just never got around to it. But it'd give a great view of the city and after that, we take a pop around the river and then head for lunch," Sokka suggested. 

"That sounds like a good idea to me," Piandao nodded in agreement. 

"Okay sure." Zuko shrugged, clearly not having any intense feelings one way or the other. 

Once they'd arrived over to the ticket area Zuko decided to spring for the VIP gondola package and Sokka found himself excited by the fact that there would only be the three of them plus extra comfortable seats. It just seemed like it would make the whole experience better. Since he was supposed to be used to this sort of stuff he couldn't exactly explain how happy he was but he knew that he'd be texting Suki about it later. 

As they were waiting for their specific gondola to return back Piandao's phone started to ring. "Excuse me, gentlemen, I have to take this," he said with a smile and stepped slightly away from them. 

Not wanting to be rude, Sokka turned back to Zuko to talk to him. "When have you done this before?" They were no longer holding hands, having parted them for Zuko to pay for everything and not having joined them again but they were still standing close together. There was no reason not to be. 

"A few times. Izumi wanted to do it when she was little and then whenever my uncle comes to visit he enjoys going for a spin. Says he likes to look at the city from up above it. It's a nice way to get a good view of the place." 

"That's cool. Is that where you picked up all the tour guide-esque facts? Showing your uncle around?" 

"Yes," Zuko nodded. "Plus, I've lived here since my father moved the company here when I was really young." 

"Why Montreal? Why not Toronto or Vancouver?" The language laws kept a lot of companies from considering taking up shop here and he'd always wondered why Sozin's was even in Montreal. 

"Something about the cost of property and return investment." Zuko gave a shrug. "I wasn't exactly able to understand the choices when they were made." 

"Fair enough." 

The employee indicated that their gondola was approaching and Sokka looked to Piandao as Zuko asked if they could wait. 

Piandao seemed to hear and gave them an apologetic smile. "The two of you go without me. I'll meet you in the cafe," he said, holding one hand over his phone. 

"Are you sure? It's not a big deal for us to wait," Sokka offered. 

"We can wait for you," Zuko said at the same time. 

"No, no. You boys enjoy a moment alone together. Spirits know you're not getting enough of them at home with me staying longer." 

Zuko blushed a little but nodded. "If you're sure..."

It was how the two of them ended up alone in the four-person VIP gondola. The seats were large and comfortable and Sokka took one across from Zuko so that he could look at him and talk. Not that he was going to be looking at Zuko the whole time. He was there to look out at the city. Not to look at his fake husband. 

When he was seated though he chanced a look down and paled slightly. "The floor is... glass. It's glass." 

"Yes?" Zuko looked a little confused as he looked down too, seeing their feet just hanging out above open air as the gondola started moving up. "Is that a problem?"

"A problem? No! Why would it be a problem? I'm just surprised is all." Sokka spoke a bit too quickly in his haste to act like he wasn't suddenly sweating under the layers of his clothing. Mathematically, he knew that these floors were sound and that there was an extremely low likelihood that anything would happen to make them give out. 

Logic said that he'd be fine. 

This stomach wasn't so sure. The sense of unease that came from his feet just hanging over empty air knowing that they were only going to go higher was... mildly horrifying. 

"Sokka? Sokka?" Zuko moved out of his seat and was now kneeling on the glass floor in front of him looking on in concern. 

"What are you doing?" His voice came out strangled. "Don't do that. Get back your seat!" 

Logically, Zuko wasn't going to fall through the clear glass down to his death. Logically, it was build to withstand more weight than just Zuko. Logically, they were going to be fine. 

But also.. fuck logic there was something very wrong about this. 

Zuko listened to him and had gotten back into his seat but he leaned forward, reaching to take Sokka's hands in his own and squeezing them. "Sokka. Sokka, look at me."

Sokka managed to tear his eyes from the glass floor of death and looked over to Zuko where his eyes were narrowed in concern. His heart was pounding in his chest and he wondered why in the world anyone had thought this was a good idea. 

"Sokka, are you scared of heights?" Zuko spoke gently. 

"I-" Was he? He hadn't thought so. He'd done all of the tall rides at La Ronde before and never had this reaction. "I didn't think I was!"

"Okay, I believe you." Zuko's hands squeezed again, a grounding feeling. "How about you tell me what brought you to Montreal? Why'd you leave Nunavik in the first place?"

"University." He forced himself to take a breath. "Yue and I both knew we'd have to come down to study in English." 

"McGill?" 

Sokka shook his head. "Didn't get in. I didn't. Yue did."

Zuko's one eyebrow raised in surprise. "You're brilliant. How did you not get in?" 

A choked laugh. Some of the tension was easing out of him. "In STEM maybe, my R-scores were shit for humanities and languages. I went to Concordia instead. It was fine, Concordia does have that tunnel connecting it to the metro."

Zuko gave a smile, comforting, and warm. His hands were still holding Sokka's. "McGill is going to regret not being able to claim you as an alum someday. But you're right. Some of my secondary school friends went to Concordia and they were always bragging about the metro tunnel when the rest of us had to brace the elements." 

"It's true. You and Yue got to go to the 'Harvard of the North' and I got to access a connected metro tunnel to campus. Clearly one of these is better than the other." He focused on trying to tease Zuko, reminded of the arguments that he and Yue used to have about the same thing. She'd always laughed it off, saying that he was just mad that he wouldn't have bragging rights for the rest of his life. 

Zuko laughed now too, his eyes lighting up. "Clearly." 

"Someday though, I'm sure Varrick will get into McGill." His son was a little genius and he knew that someday every school, probably ones outside the country, would want him to be their student. 

The other man squeezed his hand lightly. "I think you're right." 

Somehow, Zuko managed to get Sokka talking for the rest of the trip and Sokka managed not to look back down more than a couple of seconds. Each time that he did, Zuko would gently squeeze his hand and draw his attention back up to the other man's face. 

By the time that they made their way back down to the ground, Sokka hadn't seen any of the cityscape from up high but he had seen Zuko looking at him in such a warm and comforting fashion. He'd seen the sun shining on his dark hair and making his brown eyes lighten like they were honey and he somehow felt like he'd managed still to see something beautiful of the city. 

\-- 

Zuko hadn't expected that Sokka would freak out when they were taking their ride on the observation wheel, but he didn't blame the other man. Perhaps he should have warned him that there was going to be a glass floor, which seemed to have been the true problem for him. Instead, he'd tried to comfort him in the best way that he knew how until they were safely back on the ground. 

The other man was shaking lightly when they stepped off and Zuko slipped an arm around him worrying that perhaps they were going to end up in a situation where he wouldn't be able to stand. 

"I'm fine," he said, waving away Zuko's help and straightening himself out before taking a deep breath. "Can we, uh, not tell Piandao about this?" 

A twitch pulled at the corner of Zuko's mouth as he tried to bite back a smile, thinking about the fact that Sokka did not want to lose face in front of Piandao. "It can be our secret," he assured him, taking his hand in his own once again.

Sokka offered him a bright smile. "Thanks." 

If Zuko's heart fluttered slightly as they made their way into the cafe no one needed to know. 

Lunch was a nice affair, all of them eating well and chatting freely. Zuko found that he was right in thinking that a meal with Piandao and Sokka, especially one without children to interrupt the conversations went a bit long. It was enjoyable though and the restaurant staff didn't seem to hurry them out. Probably because the place was fairly empty. 

When they were making their way out of the restaurant and toward the museum things suddenly changed. 

"Sokka!" a loud voice called and Zuko's stomach dropped to his feet. 

For some reason, he hadn't considered that anyone would see them out and about together. How in the world were they going to be able to keep a total stranger from saying anything that would blow their cover? He turned with a panicked look to the other man but he was looking back toward where his name had come from. 

Out of the corner of his right eye, he noticed Piandao looking at Zuko in confusion and suddenly he realized that he was in danger of being the one who fucked this up. So he forced his face into a pleasant, neutral expression and turned to face the same way that Sokka was looking. 

There was a woman probably in their age range heading their way in a jog. Her brown hair was in a bob and fuzzy black earmuffs covered her head. A green puffy coat went to her mid-thigh where she was wearing dark pants and dark snow boots. Her pretty face was stretched into a smile and her brown eyes sparkled with something as she approached. 

"What are you doing here?" Sokka exclaimed happily, dropping Zuko's hand and moving to give the woman a large hug. 

When they parted and she turned to look at Zuko and Piandao, Zuko felt himself actually starting to sweat as he waited for her to say something and how they were going to explain why Sokka's friend didn't know that he was married. They hadn't picked a short enough time period that it would be reasonable for people not to know. 

Oh no. They were going to get caught. 

Fuck. 

Azula was going to murder him. 

He thought about sending a text to Izumi to apologize to her right now for the shouting that was going to be filling their house when Azula came over to tear him a new one for letting a day out be the thing that undone them. 

She turned her attention directly to him and he closed his eyes preparing for the blow. 

"Zuko, it's so good to see you again," she said, closing the space and pulling him in for a hug. 

Wait. What?

His eyes flew open and he looked at Sokka in confusion as his arms slowly came up to wrap around this stranger. 

"It's... good to see you too?" 

He was a terrible actor. 

She had a wicked sort of grin on her face when she pulled back, the kind that Azula would use from time to time, and Zuko had no clue how he was supposed to feel getting it from a woman that he'd never met before. 

Then she winked at him. 

Winked at him. 

Was he having a fever dream? It felt like it. 

"And Mr. Piandao," she was turning to face other man as he looked after her in total confusion. "Sokka's biggest professional crush."

Sokka groaned. "Suki, please do not." 

Suki. Suki. Oh! Suki was Sokka's best friend, the one that he'd been staying with, that's where he'd heard the name before. 

His total confusion melted into relief. They were not totally busted. Azula wasn't going to murder him. 

"It's nice to meet you," Piandao said, the amusement evident in his voice. 

"I've heard a lot about you already. I could probably list off your wikipedia page from how much Sokka has spoken about you," Suki grinned, sharing a look with the man. 

"Okay, Suki, don't you have somewhere to be? Work, perhaps?" Sokka was blushing, though it wasn't very dark. Still, Zuko could tell. 

"I'm on lunch, actually. I saw you and I knew that I had to say hello." 

"Well, we are heading to the museum so I'll see you later, Sukes." 

"Say hello to the kids for me," she smiled and then threw another wink toward Zuko. 

Why was she doing that? 

Even Piandao seemed to notice and he looked at Zuko as if for an explanation. An explanation that could not be given but he couldn't say that he didn't know Suki and therefore didn't know why she'd feel like she could just wink at him like they had some inside joke. 

"Will do," Sokka answered and then took Zuko's hand again before turning back toward the way that they were supposed to be going. "That's my best friend Suki," he explained to Piandao and Zuko guessed a bit to himself as well. "We've known each other since university." 

Zuko couldn't help but wonder if there was more to it than that but it wasn't his place to ask about it. After all, Sokka wasn't his husband or his boyfriend, or even his friend. 

"Varrick loves her, thinks she's super cool just because she showed him that she can flip me over her shoulder like I weigh nothing." Sokka rolled his eyes but there was fondness there. 

Well then.

Zuko made a mental note not to cross Suki, as Sokka started telling stories about her while they continued. Talking about what they'd gotten up to together over the years of friendship. 

Perhaps, the real reason why Sokka didn't mind having gone to Concordia was more about Suki than anything else. He wouldn't be sharing that observation though. Instead, he stayed silent and let Sokka steal the attention for the rest of their walk. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can I say thank you enough for everyone who has stuck with me thus far? I don't believe so. 
> 
> Ya'll are amazing and thank you so much for letting me share this with you. 
> 
> The art gallery referenced can be found [here](https://imagesboreales.com/en/)
> 
> Everyone stay safe and feel free to yell at me on Tumblr on in the comments below.


	8. move along

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sokka deals with boredom from staying home, Zuko works on securing a deal, and Varrick has some difficulties at school.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay on this chapter. I really wasn't feeling too great about it and still don't but I think it's as good as it can be.

The afternoon at the art museum went pretty well, in Zuko's opinion. They didn't run into anyone else so he didn't have to worry about their cover being blown. At it turned out Piandao knew a lot about art and he was happy to share his knowledge with Sokka and Zuko until Sokka mentioned that he'd have to get back to the house so that he could be on time to pick up Varrick. 

The rest of the evening was similar to the way that it had been going since Sokka first arrived. The kids did their homework and then when dinner was served Varrick talked excitedly about his day at school and would occasionally butt into conversations that had not originally been meant for him to be a part of but no one really cared that much. 

After dinner, Varrick asked if they could all play a game together and somehow, everyone, including Piandao ended up sitting around a LIFE board that Zuko hadn't touched in years. 

Izumi ended up winning though Varrick wasn't far behind. Sokka somehow managed to come in a very far last place that was almost impressive in its failure considering how much of the game was just luck. He'd lost his job, managed to land on almost every 'pay' square on the board and somehow avoided having any children. Varrick was highly amused at his father's misfortune and even Zuko was having trouble keeping a straight face with the way that the other man reacted every time he had to pay money for something. 

By the time the game was over it was time for Varrick to go up to bed and Sokka took him there, Izumi also heading to her room for the evening while Zuko took the opportunity to go to his office and catch up on any messages that he might have missed during his day off. It turned out that there were a few so he spent a good amount of time answering them and sending messages to his assistant about what he wanted his schedule to be like before he called it a night and made for his bedroom.

When he did he could hear noise coming from it. 

"No and then Varrick just turned to Zuko and pouted at him to be like, 'Papa can we go?'" Sokka was explaining in a tone that was both frustrated and fond. 

A woman's laugh filled the air. "He's a smart kid." The voice was familiar. 

It took a beat and then he realized that it was Suki. Zuko paused in the hall, unsure that he wanted to interrupt Sokka's call. 

"He's a sneaky kid. Zuko folded like a house of cards." There was a soft huff. 

"Wonder who he gets that from?" Suki was teasing. 

"Definitely Yue."

"Bullshit." 

The easy banter between the two of them made Zuko more uncomfortable. He really didn't want to be overhearing this conversation but it was his house and his bedroom. He should be able to go into it without having to think about what Sokka was doing in there. 

So, he walked into the room and Sokka looked up to see him. 

"Anyway Sukes, I've gotta get going," Sokka said, as if it were a natural place to end the conversation.

"Is your hubby coming to bed?" Her voice was teasing. 

Sokka cleared his throat and quickly answered, "Good night!" The distinct sound of a disconnect followed. 

"You didn't have to hang up just because of me," Zuko told him, even though he was feeling grateful for it as he made his way over toward his dresser.

"Nah, it's fine. We weren't talking about anything important anyway." 

For a moment, he didn't know what to say. Part of him felt bad for interrupting Sokka's call. The other part was just relieved that he didn't have to listen to it and feel like a third wheel. "If you say so."

"So since the sheet trick worked last night. I'm guessing we'll be sharing the bed again?" Sokka spoke up. 

There was a brief pause in which Zuko thought back to how it'd felt to be wrapped in Sokka's arms that morning. A flush of warmth filled him but he reminded himself that Sokka didn't know about the sheet trick not having its desired effect and he wouldn't know as long as Zuko could keep quiet about it.

"Yeah," he answered, glad that he had an excuse not to look the other man in the eye as he pulled the pajamas out of his drawer. 

"Great," Sokka said happily and then he heard him rustling about behind him, probably trying to grab his own pajamas out of his bag. 

Turning back though, Sokka had discarded his shirt and was reaching for his pajama top. It made Zuko stop short for a moment, unable to stop himself from staring at Sokka. It wasn't like he hadn't seen guys with more muscle than him before, it was just... he looked really good and when he looked at those toned arms he was reminded of them wrapped around himself this morning. 

Now his cheeks flushed and he quickly averted his eyes before hurrying toward the bathroom, finding that he didn't want to stay to find out if Sokka was going to take off his pants too. 

Or, well, maybe he did want to stay and that was the problem. Either way, being safely behind the closed bathroom door kept him from having to worry about it. 

By the time he'd finished his nightly routine, his cheeks were back to their normal hue and he walked out prepared to not be weird about sharing a bed with Sokka. What he wasn't expecting was for the other man to be standing directly outside of the door. 

He acted on instinct, his heart pounding in his chest as he jumped slightly and brought his hands up in a position to hit the person. 

"Jeez, slow your roll Rocky, it's just me." Sokka was giving a shit-eating grin. 

Zuko narrowed his eyes and considered hitting Sokka just to get him to stop looking so pleased with himself. "Was that really necessary?" 

"No, but it was kind of funny." There was zero remorse on the other man's features. "I just wanted to see what you would do. I was hoping you'd be the screaming type but I guess not."

"Sorry to disappoint," Zuko answered dryly, bringing his hands down while his heart started to slow its rapid beating. At least Sokka was dressed now so there was a temptation to look him up. 

Or no more temptation than usual. 

"I do actually have to use the bathroom though," Sokka admitted, turning to slide past Zuko into it and lightly pushing his back to get him out of the doorway so that he could close the door.

Spirits above, Zuko thought as he stared at the closed door. He really didn't know how to handle the other man and he had a feeling it wouldn't get better any time soon. 

\--

During the middle of the night, Sokka woke to find himself with a weight around his side which was confusing but he figured that it was likely just a part of his dream and he was not awake enough to puzzle out if it was something to be concerned with. He was comfortable and tired.

Thus, he snuggled closer into the warmth and didn't question it. 

What did it matter anyway?

Upon waking in the morning he was alone in bed and barely even remembered his middle of the night wake up. He just got up, got ready, had breakfast which passed the same as it had the other days. He took Varrick to school and came back to the house. 

It was empty as Sokka had known that it was going to be. Once again he found himself restless being there alone. It was too big and he felt like he didn't belong. 

He tried to do some work on his computer and got through it too quickly since he wasn't officially on any projects. He made himself as complicated and time consuming a lunch as he could manage. Put on one episode of a show on Netflix. Texted Aang and Suki, scrolled mindlessly through social media, and almost cried in relief when Ty Lee showed up. 

At that point, he made his way to the kitchen to be with her while she prepared not only dinner for tonight, but did all the prep for what would be their weekend meals. 

"If I was really a house husband I'd do go absolutely insane," Sokka sighed, leaning back on the counter. 

"If you were really a house husband I'm sure you'd have plenty of things to keep you busy," Ty Lee replied as she worked on chopping up some vegetables. 

"I'm telling you, I'm not cut out for it." He shuddered, thinking of having to pass his days hanging around this large house by himself. "What the hell am I supposed to do? Just sit around and look pretty? Sure, I look the part of a trophy husband but I'm too smart for that." 

She laughed and shook her head. "Nothing is stopping you from doing things now, you know. You have to leave in enough time to pick up Varrick that's it. If you want to go out and do something you can absolutely do so. Who is going to know?"

"You would know." 

She hadn't come to say hello to him or anything when she'd come into the house but maybe that was because he was the one who came to seek her out before and she knew that he'd likely do it again.

"And who am I gonna tell?" she raised an eyebrow. 

"You could tell Zuko." It was the only person that would matter for her to tell anyway.

"You're not a prisoner here. I don't think he'd be mad to hear that you left. He knows that you've got a life outside of pretending to be his husband," she said. "In fact, I think he'd prefer it to hearing that you're here hanging out in the kitchen with me."

"Oh I don't distract you that much," Sokka laughed, waving his hand. "I can't believe that he'd think I can't hang out with you because of it. You get all your work done."

Ty Lee's laugh filled the space and she shook her head saying something under her breath that Sokka couldn't catch. "We aren't hanging out, Sokka. I'm working and you're trying to find something to do with your time."

"We could be hanging out. You're cool. I'd hang out with you," he argued. Not wanting to admit that he might be just bothering someone working who did not want his company. "I think that you'd get along really well with my best friend actually."

She looked at him for a moment, as if considering, and then nodded. "Yeah, after everything is done we can see about getting a group together to do something fun."

Sokka grinned. "I'm looking forward to it. You'll bring your girlfriend right? Zuko said he's friends with her."

"I will. I think it'll be a good time for everyone." She offered a smile back before turning back to her work.

"Great. We can get it all set up and then we can finally hang out when you aren't surrounded by knives," he said brightly. 

"Cute of you to think that my girlfriend doesn't carry knives on her person at all times," Ty Lee answered.

"Wait... what?" He was suddenly questioning the genius of a hang out session with Ty Lee. 

She turned to him and gave a wide smile. "You'll understand after you meet her."

"I can't wait," he answered slowly, though suddenly he was thinking that maybe he could. 

\-- 

Zuko's day at the office had passed quickly. As it turned out, getting things set up for a sale of a company was a lot of work even if he wasn't the one doing the bulk of it. Even so, it felt like he'd only been at the office for an hour before the end of the day was at them. 

Truthfully, if it had been up to him, he probably would have stuck around even longer but Pinadao had come to the office and asked if he was ready to go because apparently, the other man was ready to do so. 

Hence they'd arrived back to the house right around the same time that Sokka had, leading to the garage door opening immediately after Zuko had closed it and looking at it in concern only to see Sokka and Varrick entering. 

Not wanting to be rude, Zuko waited for the two of them and idly noted that Piandao also stood in out to wait for them as well. 

"We got home at the same time!" Varrick exclaimed as he got out of the car, skipping over to Zuko and giving him a smile. "I was just telling dad about my day at school. Did you know that they just teach a bunch of wrong stuff about the First Nations?"

"Unfortunately, I did know that," Zuko nodded and looked to Sokka wondering what else he could say on the matter. It wasn't like his ancestors had colonized North America (they had definitely colonized other parts of the world but that was for another discussion) and he truthfully, as a result of the educational system here, was lacking in his own knowledge of all First Nations people. 

"So I told Madam Tremblay that she was wrong about some stuff and she got all mad at me and told me that I can't interrupt her in class," Varrick huffed, tugging on Zuko's hand to lead him toward the door. "And I told her that I wasn't being rude, I was just trying to tell her that the books were wrong and that I know because I'm Inuk. And then I had to stay inside for recess, can you believe that?"

"I'll be calling to talk to Madam Tremblay and the principal," Sokka threw in, following behind them. 

"As you should," Zuko nodded. 

Obviously, he wasn't needing to give his support because his opinion on this matter didn't really add up to anything but Sokka offered a tight smile. 

"I knew I was right," Varrick said. "Oh, thanks Mr. Piandao," he broke off to smile at the man who was holding open the door. "I can teach you some of the stuff I know if you want." 

There was such an earnestness to the way that Varrick made the offer that even if Zuko had no interest, he would have likely accepted just to encourage him. As it was, from the art that he'd seen with Sokka the day before he found himself a bit embarrassed that he'd never taken the time to learn more about the indigenous peoples of the country that he called his home. 

There were excuses that he could have made, but he knew that it wouldn't matter when it came down to it. 

"That would be very nice. I'd like it a lot," he said with a smile. 

"Great! Do you think that Izumi wants to learn too? I can get her and then we can do it all together," the boy suggested eagerly. 

"Actually, Izumi is staying over at a friend's house tonight." Zuko had almost forgotten about that but earlier today his daughter had texted him a reminder and he'd just made sure that she knew that she could text him if she needed him to come and get her at any time. "So she's not going to be coming home tonight."

There was visible disappointment from Varrick and Zuko found that he was feeling bad about it. "I'm sure she'll be happy to learn about it tomorrow. And if you want to tell it twice I'll be happy to listen twice." 

Varrick fixed a wide smile up to him. "Let me get a presentation together," he exclaimed happily, pulling away to run upstairs. 

When he pattered away upstairs, Zuko turned back to Sokka who was still looking unhappy and he couldn't blame him. "Hey, you okay?" 

"Yeah, I'm fine," Sokka grumbled. "It's just bullshit that he even has to deal with this." 

Zuko hummed sympathetically with a nod. 

"I knew bringing him up in Montreal was going to be different than doing so at home, but I hadn't considered that there'd be no one around to correct the things that they teach in school. Making it sound like we happily gave away all of our land, it's gross." 

"You're there to correct it," Zuko said, trying to give a bit of positive news. "And you clearly have brought him up to know better."

"Yeah, but it's fucked up that they're still teaching this stuff in schools to begin with." Sokka's hand curled and curled into a fist, with him flexing his fingers in frustration after. 

"Very," Zuko nodded. "I'm sorry you've got to deal with all of this."

"Thanks for agreeing to listen to Varrick's presentation. Don't worry, he hasn't got a poster or anything, he just is gonna show up with a paper with a bunch of notes on it." It sounded like he was speaking from a lot of experience. 

"He's excited to share what he knows about where he comes from. Of course, I'm happy to listen to him," Zuko shrugged, not seeing it as a big deal. "I'm sure he's going to teach me a lot." 

At that, a small smile quirked at the side of Sokka's mouth. "You might be right about that." 

Zuko smiled back and for a moment the two of them stood there together looking at one another without saying anything. Then, realizing that he was doing so, he cleared his throat and turned to head up the stairs that Varrick and Piandao had already gone up. 

\-- 

Azula swung by before dinner started and sat in the seat that usually Izumi would have been in. She filled most of the dinner time conversation with some stories of her travels. Of which, Sokka came to learn, there were many. She seemed to have been around most of the world. 

Without a kid and with an excess of money, he supposed it wasn't too difficult to accomplish. Not that he'd trade Varrick or his time with Yue for any number of amazing sights in the world, but it was nice to hear about places he'd only ever read about or watched on screen. 

"Are you staying for my presentation?" Varrick demanded as the plates were getting cleared. 

Azula turned to the boy in some confusion. "Presentation?" 

"Varrick has agreed to give me a presentation about what the Inuit," Zuko explained. 

"Aren't- aren't you Inuit?" Azula asked slowly, looking over at Sokka. 

"Yes, we are," he confirmed with a nod. 

"So I know a lot!" Varrick grinned. "But today at school Madam Tremblay held me in for recess because I told her that the books were wrong." 

Azula raised an eyebrow. "Is she Inuit?" 

"Nope." Varrick popped the p.

"Then I don't know why she thought she could say anything to you about it." Azula spoke with a fierceness that she always did when she was at work but Sokka hadn't considered her using that same tone toward anything not business related. 

His respect for her was higher than it had been a minute ago. 

"So you'll stay?" 

Azula nodded. "I can stay."

That was how Sokka found himself sitting between the Sozin siblings on their couch, with Mr. Piandao sitting on the other side of Azula and all of them looking at his son holding a single sheet of paper up as he explained what he knew of his culture. 

It was organized in a Varrick manner, meaning that there were places when things seemed to jump rather drastically from one place to another and he did check a few times with Sokka about certain words in Inuktitut that he felt less sure of but overall for an informal presentation Sokka found his heart swelling with pride for his son. 

While it didn't fully erase the worries he felt about Varrick not growing up in Nunavik, it was good to see that he still felt a connection to his family and to Yue's and where they'd come from. 

At the end of the presentation, Varrick finished with, "Does anyone have questions?" 

"Not off of the top of my head, but can I ask you later if I think of some?" Zuko asked when there was a brief silence. 

"Of course. I'm here until bedtime." 

The serious way that he said so made Sokka laugh and stand to go over and give Varrick a hug and kiss on the top of his head. "Very good job, _erneq_." 

"That was quite an informative presentation," Azula spoke up. "Thank you." 

"Yes, Varrick. I didn't expect to learn so much about culture on my business trip. I will have to tell my husband what I've learned when I get home," Piandao added. 

Varrick glowed at the praise. "Happy to be of assistance." 

A glance at the adults told Sokka he wasn't the only one amused by his son's antics. All of them had some sort of smile on their faces. 

"Can we play a game now?" 

At that Azula looked a little less sure and Sokka decided to spare the rest of the group for a little bit. "How about you and I play one together and we let everyone else relax for a bit?" 

"Okay!" 

The two of them ended up playing a game that Sokka had never heard of before but that they'd found in Zuko's family room. There were lots of games that were two player-friendly, which made sense given Zuko and Izumi's family unit. 

They had just finished playing a game when Sokka got a Facetime notification from Katara. Knowing that his son would want to say hello to his aunt, he gestured over to the boy. 

"Aunt Katara is calling," he said. 

"Oooh, wait for me," Varrick exclaimed moving over to sit on Sokka's lap and then pushing the button to accept the call. "Hi Aunt Katara! Hi Uncle Aang!"

On the other side of the screen, the couple sat with smiling faces, Aang waving as Katara greeted them. "Hi Varrick, you're getting bigger each time I see you."

"You always say that. I can't be bigger than last time." 

Aang laughed. "You're always growing, bud."

Varrick hummed thoughtfully as he considered this. "Okay, maybe you're right." 

"You should know that I usually am," Katara answered teasingly. Then she frowned. "Where are the two of you? I don't recognize the backdrop."

"We're staying with a friend," Sokka answered before his son could, having a feeling that his sister would not be totally on board with the deal that he was currently working. "Remember what I told you about the fire incident?"

"Which friend? That's not Suki's place." Katara was not the type that easily let something go and while that had served her well for much of her life, it wasn't always a quality that came in handy for Sokka. 

"You wouldn't know him, he's a new friend." 

Was Zuko a friend? He was his boss. Were the two able to exist together?

"That's great, Sokka!" Aang said happily. "Making new friends is always good."

"Yeah, we're helping impress Mr. Piandao!" Varrick added, much to Sokka's chagrin. 

"Mr. Piandao as in the one you've got a massive crush on?" Katara questioned. 

"I do not have a crush on him! I just admire his many skills and accomplishments-" Sokka argued. 

"You had a poster of him in your bedroom," Katara frowned. "A custom made poster."

"Okay, that's not the point here." Sisters were the worst and Sokka wished his hadn't called him tonight. "But yes, it is the same one."

"Who do you know that's friends with your idol and how in the world are you helping to impress him?"

This was veering into territory that Sokka did not want to get into so he thought quickly. "Well, Varrick gave a very impressive presentation about the history of the Inuit."

As expected, his son immediately jumped back into the conversation. "I did! Everyone said it was so good and I let them all know about what it's really like because at school they just weren't right."

Given Katara's own passion for trying to force province-wide changes in the curriculum requirements, this was a very effective distraction and the rest of the call passed with Varrick explaining his day at school, Katara going on an impassioned speech about why Quebec needed to follow the lead of provinces out West and Sokka cutting things short when it was close to Varrick's bedtime. 

He managed to avoid having to talk about Zuko and the whole situation for now. It wouldn't last, that much he was sure of because once Katara calmed down about the problems with the education system (or got back to her usual level of rage about it) she'd be sure to hit him up and demand the answers to her questions. 

That was for him to worry about another day though because once he got Varrick down to bed he went downstairs and got himself a snack, settled into the couch, and allowed himself to watch some of his favorite show. He didn't have to be up early tomorrow to take Varrick to school, so he allowed himself to binge without consequence. Allowing himself to shut off his brain and just relax for a while.

Around 1 am, Zuko came down dressed in his pajamas and found him. The other man looked surprised to see him look up when he entered the room. It was dark with only the light of the laptop screen to illuminate things so Zuko was cast in a faded blue light. It made him seem somewhat otherworldly. 

"I didn't mean to interrupt, you just hadn't come up yet," he explained, looking uncomfortable. "I was wondering if you'd fallen asleep or something."

Sokka offered a smile in return. "Nah, just lost myself in a binge session."

"Oh, okay. Well, I'll just leave you to it then." He shifted on his foot and then turned to leave. 

"Wait," Sokka spoke without thinking it through. 

Zuko paused and turned back, raising an eyebrow. 

Now Sokka felt a bit silly. "Did you want to come watch? It's a sitcom so continuity doesn't really matter all that much."

Silence. Then, a nod. "Uh, sure."

Zuko made his way over and took a seat on the couch next to Sokka, looking down at the screen where the show was paused and somewhat awkwardly settling in while trying to lean over. 

Sokka opened his arm where a blanket was thrown across it, nodding toward Zuko. "Come here, you won't be comfortable like that, and I don't mind you leaning on me." 

"Alright." 

There was still some tension as Zuko moved closer to Sokka, but within a moment he was pressed against his side and able to more clearly see the screen where it was in Sokka's lap. Sokka draped the blanket over Zuko's shoulder and gave him a warm smile before turning back toward the laptop and pressing play. 

For the first few minutes, Zuko was still stiff against him but as the show played on, he felt the other man relax more and more until at one point he felt his head fall onto his shoulder and when he looked down Zuko was fast asleep. 

Sokka took a moment to examine the other man. He looked at peace when he was alseep, all the tension and stress of the day washed away. The blue light from the screen softened the harsh lines of the scar that took up half of his face. His dark hair was up in the way that he always wore it for bed, pulled out of his face into a loose bun at the top of his head. 

Not wanting to disturb him for the moment, Sokka rested his head against Zuko's and pressed the button to start the next episode. 

He'd wake the other man when he had to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, thank you to everyone who has commented, left kudos and just read this. I can't tell you how much it means to know that people are enjoying my work :)


	9. overheard conversations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zuko makes good on his word to go to the planetarium. Sokka overhears a conversation involving Varrick.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again thank you to everyone for your patience with my odd update schedule.

"Psst, psst," a little voice awoke Zuko instead of his usual alarm. 

That wasn't the only unusual thing though. His neck ached mildly and he felt weight at odd points on his body. When he opened his eyes, slowly, it was still dark out. Or at least, it was dark in the room but that was because the curtains were closed. Sokka's head was on top of his own, trapping it against the other man's shoulder and his arm was still wrapped around him with a blanket providing a bit of coverage. 

Something on top of his head felt a little damp and he had a bad feeling that he had Sokka's drool in his hair right now. Which was, truthfully, the last thing that he wanted. 

Slowly, the night before came back to him. Going to find Sokka when he hadn't come up to the bedroom, sitting down next to him to watch some of his show, and then, he supposed that he must have fallen asleep at some point or another. Which was embarrassing considering that it hadn't even been that late. 

That left the question of the noise that had woken him up.

His eyes shifted to the source of it. The owner of the voice was none other than Varrick, who was already dressed and looked to be poking his father. 

Sokka only grumbled in response and he felt the other man nuzzle his face further into his hair. It made Zuko feel very uncomfortable knowing that Varrick was watching him do that and the analog clock on the wall couldn't be made out in the darkness so he had no clue what time it was but he guessed it had to be sometime after seven if Varrick was already awake.

Varrick caught sight of Zuko's wakefulness and brightened. "Oh, hi papa."

Carefully, or as carefully as possible, Zuko tried to disentangle himself from Sokka and found his face heating up at being caught in such a position by the young boy. Logically, he knew that he'd done nothing wrong but that didn't stop him from feeling as if he had. 

Varrick knew that the two of them were just pretending so what must he think finding them cuddled together like this? 

He didn't seem to be upset but Zuko hadn't known him long and it was very possible he just didn't recognize the signs in the young boy. It set his nerves on edge. 

"Good morning Varrick," he answered quietly, not wanting to wake Sokka. 

"We couldn't find you so we came looking." Varrick was talking quietly, in his own way though it was more of a whispered shout. 

"We?" Looking up further, Zuko noted that Piandao was standing in the doorway with a slight smile on his face. 

Oh spirits. Zuko was suddenly very aware of his pajamas and wondered what it held for the future that the man was seeing him in his sleepwear. Trying to regain some dignity, he got to his feet and straightened himself up. 

"If your dad is still sleeping, leave him be," he said to Varrick. The boy nodded in agreement, reaching for Zuko's hand as the two of them made their way over to the door. "Good morning, Mr. Piandao. Apologies for my appearance, we fell asleep watching something on Sokka's laptop."

Azula would murder him if she knew that he'd really himself into a situation like this where Piandao would probably never be able to take him seriously again. 

Maybe she didn't have to know though. 

No, she definitely didn't have to know. It was something that could remain between them here. 

"No need to apologize, it's your own home and your husband," Piandao answered with a light smile. "I was just aiding Varrick in his search as he didn't find you in your room or the kitchen."

"Right." He cleared his throat. "Still, my apologies for the scare you and Varrick might have had." 

"I wasn't that scared," Varrick argued stubbornly. "I just am hungry and I didn't know if you and dad had gone to get food for us."

"Ahh, I see," Zuko couldn't help the smile that crossed his face at the child's insistence. Somehow he did believe him. "You want me to go get started on breakfast then?" 

"Yes!" Varrick nodded eagerly.

\--

Sokka awoke to feel very strange and somewhat cold. His neck was stretched off to the side not quite resting on anything and the blanket was left open off to the side. He'd thought that at some point Zuko had joined him last night. Was that something that he'd imagined?

No, he felt quite confident that Zuko had fallen asleep against his shoulder. He could remember the other man's weight against him, the smell of his dark hair as he rested his own head against the other man's. 

Had he really just left him to sleep here and gone back up to bed? That was rude and it made him feel somewhat abandoned. 

Which was stupid, he knew that. It wasn't like Zuko was usually there when he woke up because he got up early but then, it wasn't like he'd fallen asleep cuddling him before. 

Shaking himself out of his thoughts he stretched his arms out before standing. A glance at his watch told him that it was already after 9. Usually, Varrick would have come to wake him up by now. 

Slightly afraid that he'd find his son messing around with something that he definitely shouldn't have been, he made his way out of the family room where he'd fallen asleep and up toward the kitchen where he thought he'd be most likely to find him. 

Instead, what he found was Zuko and Piandao sitting at the table with Varrick. All of them had empty plates sitting in front of them and both Piandao and Zuko had mugs in front of them. 

Varrick was in the midst of telling the story of the first time he'd ever seen the Northern Lights. It was a story that Sokka well recognized because it was one that the boy had told often. Not wanting to steal his son's thunder, he lingered in the doorframe and watched him tell it. 

It was one of the times that he saw himself in his son. In the way that he spoke with his hands as he explained the brightness of the lights and how they'd appeared in the sky, in the way that he spoke more quickly as he got to his favorite parts, in the brightness of his eyes. He'd always could easily pick the bits of Yue out of him, but he had a harder time pinpointing himself in his son. Not right now. It made his heart feel strange thinking about it.

Both adults were so engaged in the story that they didn't see Sokka come in and it was Varrick who became the first to see him. "Good morning dad!" he exclaimed happily as he finished speaking. "Do you want breakfast? We already ate some but papa said that we should let you sleep more." 

Ah, so that was why Varrick hadn't come to get him. He made his way over to Varrick and pressed a light kiss against the back of his head. "Good morning Varrick," he answered. "That was very thoughtful of your papa." 

Then because he was supposed to be Zuko's husband and Piandao was right there, he went over and squeezed Zuko's shoulder lightly, pressing a kiss against his non-scarred cheek. "Thanks, sweetie." Whether or not he'd left him on the couch wasn't the topic of discussion right now. 

The scent of the tea on the table made his stomach grumble and Sokka figured that he was going to eat now despite the fact that he probably looked like shit - having fallen asleep in his clothes from the day before and with his hair still up was not a good look, he knew from experience. "I am going to grab a quick breakfast before I hit the shower." 

"And then we'll go to the planetarium?" Varrick asked, voice hopeful. 

Sokka let out a sigh and turned his expression to Zuko who had the decency to look a bit abashed. There was no reason to punish Varrick though and well, a day at the planetarium would be interesting at least. "Yes, then we'll go to the planetarium."

"Yes!" A small brown fist was thrust in the air in celebration and Sokka could only smile as he saw how happy he was. "Mr. Piandao are you coming too?" 

Sokka hadn't considered that this outing might include Piandao. He'd somehow thought that it would just be the three of them. Why had he thought that? And why did he want it to be the three of them? Maybe it'd give him a chance to get to know Zuko a bit better if they could interact with one another like the practical strangers they were?

That made sense, right? 

Did it? 

Hell, he wasn't sure. Maybe it was all that teasing that Suki had done that was finally getting to him. Not that he planned on telling her.

"Oh, I wouldn't want to intrude," Piandao answered. 

Good. 

"You wouldn't be intruding," Zuko insisted. 

Sokka fought to keep a straight face, offering Piandao a smile when the man glanced at him as if trying to get a read on his opinion. Seeing him hesitate, he spoke up. "Not at all," he added. 

"Well, in that case, it would be an interesting way to pass some time," the older man said with a nod. 

"Great," Sokka nodded, a somewhat forced smile crossing his face. "Well, as I said, I'm going to grab some food and then shower before we go." 

"I set aside a portion for you and put it in the microwave," Zuko offered. 

Two sets of brown eyes met and Sokka smiled more genuinely this time. "Thanks." 

"No problem," Zuko smiled back and for a moment it was just the two of them. A nice, warm feeling settling between them. 

Zuko had beautiful eyes, a lighter shade of brown than his own. Even the eye that had been damaged in whatever accident had caused his scar was beautiful in a way. Sokka felt like he could spend a long time looking at them if he was given a chance and not get bored. 

In general, Zuko was a very attractive person. Interesting attractive, not the bland kind that made you feel like you'd seen the face a million times before and would see it a million times again. No, his was an attractive that was all his own that seemed to only grow the more that you looked at him, drawing you in to look even more. To admire the lines of his jaw and the cut of his cheeks, the shape of his nose and his lips... 

Then Varrick pushed out his chair and the moment was over, Sokka turning away and noticed that his son was gathering the empty plates of the adults. He waited for his son so that they could go into the kitchen together.

"Thank you Varrick," each of the men at the table said.

"You're welcome."

\-- 

The last time Zuko had been to the planetarium had been when he had supervised the field trip that Izumi's class had taken probably in primary school. Obviously, that had been some years ago. Since then there had been some changes to the place. Which was good, as he couldn't imagine it'd gain much by staying stagnant for years.

Varrick seemed to know his way around at least because he immediately started talking about what would be the best to see with everyone. It seemed that he had already seen all of the films that they had to offer and had strong opinions on which were the best as well as strong feelings about the exhibits. 

Quite honestly, Zuko found it very charming.

As they were in public and supposed to be playing the part of a married couple, Sokka's hand had found his easily and they walked toward the exhibits with their fingers linked together as Varrick started to act as a bit of a tour guide. That was what Zuko tried to focus on while they walked along, not on how comfortable it was to walk like this with Sokka.

Next to them, Piandao walked along and listened with interest as Varrick pointed out things and gave a little spiel about what each of them meant. 

When the other man was sufficiently distracted, Zuko turned his head toward Sokka and quietly asked. "How often do you come here?"

Sokka jumped slightly, apparently not having expected the question or maybe the way that Zuko's face got so close to his. 

Something that he just noticed now, his face warming as he realized that the slightest lean forward would connect their lips. It was tempting but there was no reason for him to do so right now. 

If he thought that he saw Sokka's eyes dart toward his lips... well that was simply a trick of his imagination. Wishful thinking on his part. 

"Every couple of months," Sokka answered back, his voice a whisper as he kept close. "Things don't change that much but Varrick loves it."

It was harder than he would have liked to focus on Sokka's voice and what he was saying instead of just his face. How close it was. How he could feel the other man's breath on his skin when she spoke and how unfairly attractive he was. His darker skin seemed flawless save for the few starting signs of crinkles around the eyes which probably came from how much he laughed. 

And there was something about it that felt charged in a way. Probably because of how close they were together, that made his heart skip a beat as their gazes met. 

Swallowing, he forced himself to say something so that he didn't keep looking at Sokka like some sort of freak. "He seems like he could give a tour of the place himself."

Sokka gave a low chuckle, warm like the smile that crossed his face. 

Spirits, the man could have been a model. 

"He probably could," the other man admitted. "He's asked enough questions of the workers by this point." 

For a moment, Zuko let his eyes flick toward the boy who was in the midst of explaining something about the exhibit to Piandao who was appearing to listen with intent. Then his eyes were back on Sokka. "It's sweet that he's so invested."

"He doesn't know how to do anything by halves." There was a note of pride in his voice that seemed well earned. 

"I wonder where he gets that from," Zuko shot back. 

He hadn't known Sokka that long but everything about him said that he was someone who gave 110% into the things that he loved. His work spoke to that, not to mention the way that he'd committed to this particular project. 

Sokka's eyebrow quirked up and a smile pulled at the edges of his full lips. "Are you trying to charm me?" he demanded. 

Zuko could feel his face flush as he tried to choke out an answer. "I-" 

Was he? Maybe. Not consciously. He'd just been trying to make a joke and maybe compliment Sokka. 

Before he was embarrassed further though, he was saved by none other than the boy that they'd been talking about. 

"Dad? Papa? Are you listening to me?" Varrick had walked up to the pair of them. 

Sure, he jumped a little and it made him hit his head against Sokka's which was both painful and embarrassing in another way but it did get him out of the conversation. It was far too easy to get swept up in this man. He should be worried. He was worried.

It was just that right now he was more concerned about the fact that even though Varrick was the child and he was an adult, he felt like a student being told off by a teacher for talking during a lesson. Which, he supposed wasn't that far off from what had happened.

Sokka didn't seem near as flustered as Zuko felt, but he thought that he could see a faint bit of pink as he turned to his son and offered an apologetic smile. "Sorry buddy, I promise we'll be quiet and listen." 

Varrick eyed them suspiciously but then nodded in approval. "As I was saying, the cool thing about Venus is that even though it's called the sister planet to Earth, it's the hottest planet in the whole solar system." 

Very purposefully, Zuko kept his attention on Varrick for the rest of the time so that he would not be tempted to whisper with Sokka. 

The few glances that he stole now and again didn't count. Not at all.

\-- 

Izumi had returned by dinner time, which meant that dinner was spent with Varrick recounting their trip out today to the teen. To her credit, she seemed to really listen to him. When he was finished, he asked questions about her time spent over at her friend's house that Zuko ended up questioning her more about too. 

As had been the case every night, the food was great too. If Sokka hadn't known that it'd been prepped the day before by Ty Lee he would have been surprised when Zuko had served the food because it was just as amazing as every other meal that he'd eaten in the Sozin house. 

Evening lead to a movie being watched by everyone together. Then Piandao excused himself, asking if he could use the library for some reading. The kids followed suit heading upstairs shortly after as it was getting close to Varrick's bedtime anyway. 

That left Sokka and Zuko alone on the couch, the seat where Varrick had been between them now empty. It was a contrast to the closeness that they'd shared earlier in the day and Sokka found himself missing it for a wild moment. 

Was he touch starved or something? He didn't think so. It was probably just that he was a tactile person in general. That could be the explanation that had him wanting to slide into the vacated space to lean right up against Zuko in the way that the other man had the night before.

It didn't have to be anything more than that. 

"So," Zuko spoke after a couple of minutes of the two of them sitting in silence. 

Sokka looked up, shaking out of his thoughts and tilting his head inquisitively. 

"Umm..." It seemed that he didn't have anywhere he'd been planning on going with that and it was clear to see that the man was struggling to come up with something. 

Taking pity on him, Sokka decided to speak up. "How'd everything go with all of Piandao's partners arriving yesterday? I never asked."

"I think it went well." The relief was palpable in his voice as he answered. "Just trying to sort out the legal aspects but Azula is feeling confident in the way that things started out, so I am too."

"I'm glad," Sokka nodded. This whole thing wasn't for nothing it seemed and he felt good knowing that his part in all this had possibly aided in some way. "Doesn't seem like Azula would be confident if she didn't think things were going well."

"Yes and no," Zuko shrugged. "She's a realist in a lot of ways, but she always thinks that things will go her way in the end." 

That wasn't surprising to Sokka. Azula radiated a sureness in herself that made it hard for him to imagine anyone saying no to her. She was sharp and convincing. "Don't things usually go her way?"

A short laugh was given by Zuko who nodded. "Well, yes, actually." 

Some of his long hair fell into his face and Sokka was struck by the sudden desire to push it behind his ear. He clenched his hand under his thigh to stop himself from acting on it and instead only grinned back. "So sounds like you're right on track."

"I guess you could say that we are."

They fell into conversation easily after that. Talking about what Sokka had gotten up to the day before (Zuko did, in fact, confirm what Ty Lee had said and mentioned that he could have gone out if he'd wanted to) and how the call with Katara had gone last night. 

After a while though, Zuko yawned and stood up. "We should head upstairs so that we don't fall asleep on the couch again."

"What, you weren't comfortable last night?" he teased, though part of him was curious to know what Zuko had thought about sleeping on him. 

He seemed to sense that this was a trick and only shot back a look that said he would not be engaging in the conversation before turning to head upstairs. Sokka went with him. 

"Don't think I didn't notice that you didn't say no," he tried. 

"I didn't say yes either." 

Damn, he had him there.

They were coming up on the floor that the kids slept on. "I'm gonna stop in to say goodnight to Varrick." 

Zuko nodded. "I'll say goodnight to Izumi too."

When Sokka got to Varrick's room though, the door was wide open and his son was nowhere to be seen. Thinking he might have gone to the bathroom, he turned to go that way but caught sight of Zuko hovering outside of Izumi's door without opening it. There was a small crack in it that he seemed to be leaning toward and the other man gestured him over with one hand while holding the other up to his mouth in a 'shh' motion. 

Sokka made his way a little further down the hall and could hear the sound of voices. One of them was Varrick's. He stood next to Zuko, leaning with the other man closer to the small crack.

"-a question?" 

"Sure," Izumi's voice responded. 

"Do you remember your parents from before your dad?" Varrick asked seriously. 

Sokka frowned, wondering where his son's question was going and not liking the idea that immediately came to mind. There was a pause and he wished that he could see the two of them but he was afraid that if he got too close he'd be spotted and the conversation would stop. 

"No," Izumi spoke slowly, carefully. "Not really. Why?"

Another pause and Sokka found himself straining to hear anything else that might be said. Not wanting to miss whatever was going to happen next because he could feel it in his gut that something big was about to happen. 

There was a small sigh. "I don't remember my mom." Varrick's voice was heavy with something. Sadness? Relief? A mixture of the two. "I mean, I know what she looks like. I've heard stories about her and I've seen videos but I don't remember her."

Sokka's throat felt tight. This was something that logically he knew would probably happen to Varrick. He'd been so young when Yue had died but it still felt like a blow to the chest to think that he'd never know his mother. To think that he didn't know her now. He didn't realize that his hand was shaking until Zuko's wrapped around it. 

A look at the other man had him meeting concerned brown eyes, a small crease between them as he seemed to silently question if he was okay. 

Sokka didn't know what to say.

Izumi didn't seem to know what to say either judging by the silence that continued in the room. 

"I don't want to tell my dad cause I know it'll make him sad."

Ouch. The worst part was that it was true. It hurt him though to think of his small son trying to protect his emotions when it should have been the other way around. 

"And I can't help but wonder... do you think that she'd be mad if she knew that I didn't remember her?" Varrick asked, his voice quieter than before. 

"Oh, Varrick, no," Izumi answered, her voice reassuring. There were some shuffling sounds and Sokka hoped that she was hugging him like he desperately wanted to at the moment. "I didn't know your mom but I'm sure she wouldn't be mad at you. You're a good kid and you love your dad very much. It's not your fault she's gone."

Sokka's eyes burned and he knew that he was moments from crying but he couldn't stop himself from staying planted where he was. Zuko's hand stayed firmly wrapped around his, squeezing it lightly and he could feel the other man's gaze on him.

"I don't think it's my fault that she died," he answered, sounding a touch defensive. That was a conversation that had been had many times to him, that it was no one's fault when someone died just that sometimes people died. "I just... everyone tells me how much she loved me but how can I love her if I don't remember her? She was my mom. Aren't I supposed to love her?"

"Sometimes families are complicated," Izumi sounded a bit uncomfortable and who could blame her? When Varrick said he wanted to ask a question she likely couldn't have imagined that this was how it was going to go. "How you feel about your mom, no one can tell you that and no one should make you feel bad about it."

There was no stopping the tears that escaped Sokka's eyes now. His free hand came up to clamp over his mouth to make sure that he didn't make any sound but his heart broke at the thought of all of it. 

The reminder that Yue, beautiful and vibrant and loving, was dead and she'd never see her son grow up. She'd never get to tell him how much she loved him herself again and Varrick couldn't remember her doing it at all. At the turmoil that Varrick must have been going through, wondering about what was right and wrong and dealing with the loss of a mom he couldn't even remember. At the fact that his son hadn't come to him with this at all because he cared so much about Sokka's feelings that he couldn't risk hurting them. 

All the feelings that he still had himself about the loss of his wife who he had accepted was gone but still missed like a phantom limb at times. When he didn't know what to say to Varrick or when he was so proud of him that he felt like he'd burst. When he saw a full moon and he remembered their first kiss happening under it. When any subject of an inside joke between them came up. Sometimes he turned to joke with her about something and remembered suddenly that she wasn't there. 

The tears started coming faster and he was in danger of a full-on breakdown. Zuko seemed to sense it too because suddenly the other man was pulling him into a hug and Sokka, desperate for some comfort took it. He allowed himself to be wrapped tightly in the strong arms, he buried his face into the other man's shoulder and cried while trying to keep quiet. It was different than being held by Suki or Katara or even Aang, whose arms were familiar to him and the comfort almost a second nature. 

Being held by Zuko though... it was new and felt a bit strange in a way that he didn't have the emotional capacity to deal with it being either good or bad. It was just too much to sort through. He clung to the other man like a lifeline to keep himself from drowning in the realization that his son would never truly know his mother and there was simply nothing to be done about that.

For his part, Zuko slowly started backing them down the hall, probably so that there was less risk of the kids hearing or seeing them. A very smart thing because as much as Sokka wanted to take Varrick in his arms right now and reassure his son that he'd done nothing wrong and that his mom could never be angry at him for anything... trying to do so while being a sobbing mess likely wasn't going to help the situation. 

Knowing Varrick, his son would turn things around to make sure that his dad felt better. The thought of his amazing, brilliant, thoughtful child only made the tears continue. It made him almost mad at himself, that he couldn't keep it together to be the strong one. To be the rock for his child. 

Somehow, Zuko managed to get them up the stairs so that even if Varrick left Izumi's room he wouldn't run into the two of them. Later, he'd thank him for his thoughtfulness. Later, he'd be embarrassed about breaking down so thoroughly in front of his boss. Later, he'd apologize profusely for everything and how awkward he'd made it. 

Right now, he let himself be held and cried it out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone for all the kudos and comments. Ya'll make my day every time.


	10. heart to heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zuko continues to comfort Sokka and both spend father/child days with their children.

Sokka was alone when he woke up, though it was still early from what he could tell. A glance to the clock told him that it was only around 7:30 but he was awake. Truthfully, he was even glad to be alone because he wasn't ready for face Zuko yet today. After last night he felt embarrassed and a bit ashamed of himself. 

Not only had he failed to be there for Varrick when he needed him to be there for him, but he'd gone and spilled all that stuff about his mother which no doubt had made Zuko uncomfortable because it made Sokka uncomfortable to think about it right now. 

He rarely ever talked about his mom to anyone. For one thing, as he'd said to Zuko, he struggled to remember her and for another... well Katara had seemed to feel her loss more acutely than he had and he'd hardened himself to be able to be there for her. To be the rock in their family when Katara and his father were so upset and seemingly lost. 

It was something that he'd never wanted Varrick to have to do. He was going to be strong for his son, so that he could just be a kid and be allowed to feel what he wanted. Somehow, he'd failed at that though and last night was a clear indication of that failure. A deep ache still hurt in him for it. 

Zuko's words echoed in his mind though as he worked on getting ready. 

If Varrick thought that he was doing well... but then Varrick also had said that he was trying to protect him. So as kind as Zuko had been, had tried to be, he thought that perhaps the other man was off base on this. No offense was meant to his own father whom he loved and thought the world of, but some part of him had always known that as much as he wanted to emulate the man, this was an instance in which he'd felt it was for the worst to take after his old man. 

He was going to fix this, or start to fix this, today.

At the breakfast table Zuko was already in conversation with Piandao and Sokka noted that Varrick was up and seemed to be listening with interest as he ate his breakfast. 

Zuko's eyes flashed up to him as he came down and a concerned look flashed over his face. Sokka shook his head in response and offered a weak smile before he went to the kitchen in order to get himself some breakfast. 

Even when he joined the table, Sokka didn't participate in the ongoing conversation. He just ate his breakfast in silence, which seemed cause for concern for not only Zuko, but for Piandao and Varrick as well from the way that Sokka had caught them looking at him. Varrick had the little frown he got when he was trying to figure out a particularly difficult puzzle, while Piandao looked at him with a concerned sort of curiosity. 

Each time he caught anyone looking at him, he gave a small smile that didn't reach his eyes and apparently no one bought because it did not stop the looks even afterward.

"What should we do today?" Varrick asked once he'd finished his food and there was a lull in the conversation between the adults. 

Before anyone else could get a word in, Sokka spoke up. "I was thinking that the two of us could go skating. You know, a father/son day."

It wasn't an entire lie. They definitely could go skating, they tended to go at least once a month and they hadn't been recently. It was not the main reason why he wanted to have some time alone with his son though and he was sure that Zuko would see through it. 

Varrick's worry seemed to vanish because he was soon grinning. "Yes! Can we get pogos for lunch?" 

Now Sokka gave a real smile, albeit a bit dimmer than usual. "Yeah buddy, we can do that." 

\--

Zuko couldn't fault Sokka when he mentioned that he wanted to have a father/son day with Varrick. They probably had a lot to talk about and going off by themselves to do so was an obvious choice to make. He himself wanted to talk to Izumi at some point today about what had happened last night and they had much less to talk about. 

Sokka told Varrick they wouldn't be leaving for a couple of hours so everyone went about their morning normally, though when the other man got ready to leave Zuko pulled him aside. 

"Are you okay?" he asked quietly, his eyes searching the other's darker ones. 

"I'm fine," Sokka answered quickly, not meeting his eyes.

Zuko sighed, wondering what had happened between last night and this morning. He'd been plenty talkative before now but it seemed that he'd closed up. Deciding not to push it, he brought up an idea that had come to him this morning while he was working out. "I was thinking, um, maybe while you're out today you could bring back a picture of Yue to keep in Varrick's room while he's still here?"

Surprise bloomed on Sokka's face and then something else overtook it, causing the other man to clench his jaw and nod stiffly. It looked like his eyes were brighter than before. "That's a very nice idea," he said after a moment, his voice sounding suspiciously tight. 

Feeling uncomfortable that he'd apparently caused Sokka an emotional reaction, he brought his hand to his neck and shrugged a shoulder. "I just thought it might help."

There was silence while Sokka seemed to get himself together and then he spoke, "We'll be back later. Probably before dinner time." 

Sokka left press of lips against his cheek although Zuko wasn't sure that Piandao could even see them off to the side as they were. As always, a bit of warmth lingered and Zuko tried to ignore it. "Have a nice time." 

On the weekends it wasn't uncommon for Izumi not to come downstairs until well closer to lunch time than breakfast time. He tried to break her of the habit but the more he tried the more she seemed to be stuck in her ways for it. Still, it was around 10:30 by the time that Sokka and Varrick left the house and Zuko thought it was a good a time as any to go talk with Izumi. 

A knock on her door was met with confirmation that she was at least awake. "Yes?" she called. 

"It's me, can I come in?" He always waited for her permission, wanting to respect her privacy as much as he could reasonably do so. 

"Sure."

Unsurprisingly, she was still in her bed and pajamas though her phone was in her hand and she was in the midst of typing something but she set it aside. Seeing the way that he was looking at her she frowned. "What?"

"I wanted to see if you were okay after everything that happened last night." 

A brief look of confusion crossed her face but it quickly melted into understanding. "Really, dad, you were eavesdropping?"

"I was not," he said defensively, continuing rapidly when she shot him a look of disbelief "I just came to say goodnight while Sokka came to say goodnight to Varrick and then I happened to overhear your conversation."

"And you immediately left realizing it was not a conversation for you?" she asked dryly. 

"Okay, fine, maybe Sokka and I eavesdropped a little bit," he admitted. "Not the whole time though, we only listened to a little before we, uh, decided to leave."

It didn't seem right to just spill that Sokka had gotten very upset about what had happened. He imagined the other man was upset enough without having to worry about Izumi knowing just how broken up he'd been to hear the bit of conversation that they'd heard. 

"The point is. It sounded like a very intense conversation and a very difficult one," he continued. "And I wanted to check on you. It sounded like you handled it with a lot of maturity and while I'm proud of you for that it was still a situation that you shouldn't have had to be put in."

"Dad, it's not a big deal," Izumi said with a roll of her eyes. "Varrick just needed to talk to someone and he thought that because I lost my birth parents I'd understand. I was surprised but... I didn't even have to say much. It was like he just wanted to talk to someone who wasn't going to be upset with him to be honest."

"I don't think that Sokka would be upset with him," Zuko interjected with a sigh. 

"Or be upset by what he was saying, whatever," she waved his comment away. "Really though. I'm fine."

"Do you, do you ever wish we talked more about what happened to your parents?" he questioned after a moment of silence. They'd died when she was young, though older than Varrick had been. 

When she'd first come to live with him he'd gotten her a therapist and encouraged her to be open and honest with her feelings but it'd been many years since she'd mentioned them even in passing at this point. 

"Like I told Varrick last night, I don't remember much about them," she shrugged. "And thanks to all that therapy you made me go to." Here she levelled him with an unimpressed look. "I know that's normal and that they'd want me to be happy and well taken care of. I am. There's not much more to talk about." 

"But you know that you could, right?" Zuko leaned a little closer, searching her face for any indication that she might be hiding something. "That I'd be happy to answer any questions you might have and that I wouldn't feel like it's anything against me being your father?" 

Her face softened the slightest bit. "Yes, dad. I know that. Most of the things that I wonder in passing aren't something you could answer anyway. It's just little things. When I'm good at something that no one here is good at I wonder if it's something I shared with them but it doesn't keep me up at night or anything. I'm happy here and I'm happy you're my dad, even though you made me do this whole stupid fake family thing." 

Even though Zuko was being honest when he said that he wanted his daughter to be free to ask him anything, there was no stopping the relief that he felt when she said that she was happy he was her dad. "It's just for a little bit longer," he assured her when she mentioned the fake family. "Besides, it seems like you like having Varrick around."

Izumi looked away and shrugged. "He's nice," she answered in the way that said she was striving for indifference.

"Don't think I've forgotten about how you begged me for a sibling when you were 10," Zuko warned her. "I think you like getting able to play the older sister."

A hint of a smile tugged at Izumi's lips but she stubbornly fought against it. "Is that all you wanted to talk about?"

"Well, Sokka and Varrick are out for some father/son bonding today. I figured that we could do some father/daughter bonding. You up for seeing that movie again?"

Now a smile did cross her face. "It's really good."

He knew it was likely to be good, that's why they were supposed to see it together but he only smiled in return. "Come on, get dressed and then we can get some brunch before the next showing." 

\--

The first thing that Sokka did when he got into the car was start heading for their own home instead of the skating rink. 

"Why are we going this way?" Varrick asked confused. 

"We've got to go and get our own skates from home. You know how I hate being in rental skates," Sokka replied easily. It was true. He'd orn in his skates over the years to a comfortable level that fit him right and there was no way that he was going to go and rent some when his own were in somewhat reasonable reach. 

"Okay," Varrick shrugged happily and started talking about the different things he hoped to be able to do at the rink today. 

By the time that they reached their own home, Sokka felt a twinge of homesickness. They hadn't been away long but their modest duplex was a welcome sight for him. Especially since he knew that the workers should have been finished with fixing the water damage by now. 

Sure enough, when they walked inside the furniture that was usually in Varrick's room had made its way into the living room. It was something that he'd have to take care of later but for now he instructed Varrick to take a seat on the couch while he went to get everything. The skates were kept in a closet by the door but he first went to go and grab a photo album. 

Yue had been the one to insist on having a physical photo album, despite Sokka's protests that nowadays no one bothered when you could have everything on a computer without having to make any decisions about what not to keep. She'd shaken her head though and said that it was important to have physical copies that were able to be held and he'd gone along with it. 

Now he was grateful for it. At the same time, he grabbed one of the pictures off the bedside table on what used to be her side of the bed. There was a picture from their wedding, with the two of them smiling at the camera together but the one that he grabbed was a candid of Yue with a toddler Varrick, taken before they knew she was sick. He was sitting in her lap, giggling happily as she pressed a kiss to his cheek with her arms wrapped tightly around him. 

Every time he saw the picture his heart hurt a little but in a good way. It was only right that it'd be the one that they bring back to Zuko's place to keep at Varrick's bedside while they spent the next week there. 

Returning to the living room, he saw Varrick was still on the couch but had pulled out a water damaged book from his bookshelf and was thumbing through it while he waited. 

"Hey bud," he sat down next to his son, holding the photo and the photo album like a lifeline while Varrick turned his attention from the book in his hands to his father. "I wanted to talk to you about your mom."

A crease formed between Varrick's eyebrows and then he straightened. "You heard me talk to Izumi," he guessed, not sounding offended in the slightest. 

"Maybe a little," Sokka replied, seeing no point in lying about it. 

"I didn't mean to hurt your feelings, but I know that you'd be sad if I talked to you about not remembering mom." 

"I know and I'm proud that you care so much about my feelings, it's a good trait to have. But I need you to know that I am here to take care of you, Varrick," he said seriously, looking down at his son. "You don't need to worry about hurting my feelings. I will always be here for you and if it hurts my feelings a little what you've got to say it's okay, because I know you're not saying it to be mean."

Varrick nodded with a solemn face. "Okay."

"I'm sad you don't remember your mom, that's true," Sokka swallowed hard, trying to get around the lump that was forming in his throat. "But I understand that. Did you know, when I was your age that's when grandma died?"

Little eyes widened. "She did?"

Sokka nodded and sighed. "Yeah, she did. And after a few years I couldn't really remember her either."

"You couldn't?" Varrick's voice was a little smaller and he wasn't looking Sokka directly in the eyes. 

"Not really. Small things sometimes but most of my memories of her just aren't clear," he said sadly. "I feel bad about that sometimes."

"Me too." Varrick moved closer, cuddling into his father. 

"I know. I won't tell you that you have to stop, it's normal. And it's normal to wonder about her and what she'd think about you." He wrapped an arm around the boy, holding him close as his nose stung and eyes watered. "I can't answer all the questions but I can try and I want you to talk to me, okay?"

Varrick's eyes met his own, searching and bright. "Okay," he nodded after a moment of silence. "Do you think she'd be sad I've forgotten her?"

For a moment Sokka considered lying, but he wanted to keep Varrick's trust and it wouldn't do any good to tell him something that he probably already expected himself. Realistically, who wouldn't be hurt by someone they love forgetting them? 

"Yes," he answered. "But she wouldn't blame you for forgetting her. She'd understand and tell you that even if you forget her she's always going to love you." 

Saying this it made him think of his own mother and he hoped that she felt the same. He felt confident to speak for Yue because he'd known her so well, but clearly that wasn't the case for his mom. From what Gran Gran always said and from what his own father said, she would. He willed himself to believe it for some peace. 

Blinking rapidly, Varrick's lower lip started to tremble lightly and he buried his face into Sokka's side before starting to cry. "I'm sorry, daddy. Sorry I didn't tell you."

"Oh _irnikuluga_ ," Sokka pressed a kiss to the top of his son's dark hair and ignored the tears that gathered in his own eyes. "There's nothing to apologize for."

Holding the boy tight, he waited for his tears to subside and then he showed off the photo album, showed moments from Varrick's past that Yue had gotten to participate in and answered any questions he had about them. There were videos on his computer that he could have shown him too but the laptop was back at the Sozin house but another day he resolved to do so. 

He'd let Varrick hear Yue's voice, her laugh, the lullabies that she used to sing to him when he'd been an infant. Videos helped make things seem more real, captured her more fully. The pictures would do for today and Sokka brought her to life as best as he could with them. 

After a while of looking through photos and talking about them, Sokka asked Varrick if he still wanted to go skating. The answer was a resounding yes, so they made a quick stop at Valentine got their lunch and then went to skate for the rest of the afternoon.

\--

Before taking off for the day Zuko checked to make sure Piandao wouldn't mind being left to himself at the house. Not that he wanted him to join him on his outing with Izumi but he also felt rude not saying anything first. If anything, he could have called Azula to come and entertain him in some way. However, Piandao had simply smiled and told him that he was fine to himself and actually was probably going to join some of his lawyers who had invited him out for some sight seeing. 

"It never hurts to see a place twice," Piandao said with a twinkle in his eye that reminded Zuko of his uncle for some reason. 

"Well if you are wrapping up early we'll all be home in time for dinner," Zuko told him before the other man left. 

Then he and Izumi went out together, a small brunch spot nearby that Izumi liked and Zuko found tolerable. They talked together, mostly about their plans for the new year and everything that Izumi was looking forward to doing while they visited Uncle Iroh. It was nice. The meal and the conversation and then they went to the movie theater where they already had their tickets and Izumi talked him into buying theater food even though they'd just eaten so that she could have some popcorn to eat while the film was ongoing. 

By the time the movie was finished it was late afternoon but Izumi managed to drag him into a clothing store that was nearby and grab so many clothes that by the time they were finishing up it was almost time for the shop to close. Zuko indulged her though, buying her the new clothing despite the fact that she had a well stocked closet and went to a school with a uniform. They'd had that debate before and it always came down to Izumi not wanting to spend every evening in her uniform and her pointing out that once she went to CEGEP she wouldn't need a uniform anymore and she should have clothes for that period. 

Sokka's rental was already in the garage when they returned. 

"Looks like your boyfriend is home," Izumi commented. 

Zuko sighed and didn't argue because he knew that she was baiting him. Sometimes he wished Izumi took a little less away from her time with her aunt. "Come on, don't forget your bags."

Entering the house Piandao didn't seem to be anywhere, so Zuko figured that the other man was probably still out with the laywers from his legal team and went to see about where Sokka and Varrick might be as neither of them was in living room or family room areas. 

Varrick was in his room, reading out of one of the books that Zuko had to assume came from the shelf that was there. Next to his bed a photo sat on the nightstand that hadn't before. 

In it a beautiful woman that had to be Sokka's wife was kissing a toddler Varrick on the cheek. It was an adorable photo, but it made Zuko feel like he was interrupting a private moment. Still, it was hard not to look at it because the it just seemed to draw the eye with the emotions almost leaping out of the print. Happiness and love shone so brightly from the frame that it felt almost like they were jumping off the print. Idly, Zuko wondered if Sokka had been the one to capture it. Snap a fragment of the beauty of the moment and keep it forever, never imagining how important it would be in the future. 

"Hi papa," Varrick's voice cut through Zuko's thought process. "We wondered where you were."

With his eyes now on Varrick, Zuko offered a smile. "Just went to the movies with Izumi. Where's your dad?" 

Varrick shrugged. "Upstairs I think. Said he had some work to do? Was the movie good?" 

"It was good, thank you. I'll leave you to your book."

For the time being, Zuko figured that he'd give Sokka some space, not knowing how the conversation that he had with Varrick had gone and not wanting to make anything worse. Even if things went well, the other man might just need some time to himself and he felt bad about interrupting it. Not wanting to even go upstairs to go to his office lest he startle Sokka by walking past the door, he made his way back downstairs and decided that he'd spend some time relaxing until dinner.

Their guest hadn't returned by the time that dinner typically was, so it left the four of them alone for the meal.

Varrick talked as he always did, telling Zuko and Izumi about their time at the ice skating rink and everything that he knew how to do on skates. 

"You should come with us next time," he said when he'd finished. 

"Oh," Zuko was surprised, realizing that probably the next time Sokka and Varrick went skating would be long after this whole situation had ended. "Maybe."

"What do you think Izumi?" Varrick asked, turning to the teenager. 

She didn't answer right away and when Varrick started pouting she sighed. "Sure, we can go next time."

"Yes!" Varrick grinned and turned to Sokka. "We're gonna have so much fun next time. You can show papa how good at skating you are."

Sokka, looking a bit spaced out nodded. "Yeah," he answered. 

Again, Zuko wondered how the other man was actually doing but he wasn't going to poke around. He let Sokka's answer be enough and turned back to Varrick as the excitable child started talking about all the things that he'd learned to do from Sokka over the years on the ice before adding all the things that he'd learned from the rest of his family.

\--

After his talk with Varrick today, Sokka was feeling better. He hadn't realized that there had been a bit of weight that had settled between them at some point. Having it gone was freeing in a way, the same way that actually talking about his own mom had been. When he got back to Zuko's house and it was empty he'd been confused but not upset, especially since Varrick was talking about a book that he'd already started reading that he wanted to continue. 

Knowing that his son would be well occupied, he took the time to call his own father. Well, first he'd locked himself into Zuko's bathroom so that if the other man came in at any point he wouldn't hang around. Then he'd called his dad and talked with him about how it'd felt to hear Varrick talk about Yue. 

The talk was hard and he'd cried again but by the end of it he felt closer to his dad than he ever had before and he told him how much he was looking forward to seeing him on Saturday. They'd exchanged 'I love yous' and had hung up. Then Sokka washed his face off to hide all the evidence of his tears and fucked around on his phone for a while until it was about dinner time. 

Throughout dinner he was distracted, thinking back to the two conversations that he'd had today and moments in each of them that had made him feel connected to his son and his father. 

Even after the meal he was still sort of in his own mind, only pulling out when Varrick suggested they all play a card game. The kid got his wish but as it was Sunday and he and Izumi had school tomorrow it wasn't too late before they were sent up to bed. Sokka followed to give him a proper goodnight, smiling a little at the sight of the new picture on the bedside table. 

It was still a few hours before he and Zuko ended up in bed together. Sokka moved closer once they were there, trying to look at Zuko in the dark although it wasn't any use. Maybe it was for the best. Not being able to see him somehow made it easier for him to gather up the courage to speak. "Hey Zuko?" 

"Yes?" His raspy voice was a quiet whisper and closer than Sokka expected. Had he missed the other man moving toward the middle of the bed?

"Thank you again for last night," he said. 

"You don't have to thank me, Sokka."

"I know, but I want to." It was true. Being taken care of had felt nice and knowing that Zuko was listening to him without judging him had been a nice gift that he hadn't realized he wanted. 

Zuko didn't say anything right away but then, "You're welcome." 

"If you ever need to talk.. well I'm good at listening too," he offered. 

It only seemed fair. He'd lost his shit in front of Zuko twice now and the other man had managed to not only stay perfectly put together in the face of it, he'd calmed him down and listened to his problems. The least the Sokka could do was return the favor. 

"I'll keep that in mind." 

A small smile formed on Sokka's face. "Make sure you do." Then he snuggled down into his pillows (when did it become natural to think of these pillows as his?) with a yawn. After falling asleep so late the night before and the heavy emotional tones of the day, he was exhausted. "Goodnight Zuko."

Sokka's eyes were closed and even if they weren't he wouldn't have been able to see but it sounded like there was a smile on Zuko's face as he replied, "Goodnight Sokka."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always I cannot thank everyone enough for all the kind comments, for the kudos and just for those who lurk and read. It warms my heart to know that people are enjoying what I'm writing. 
> 
> irnikuluga would be 'my dear son' in Inuktitut
> 
> Canadians call corndogs 'pogos' because there is a brand name called Pogo. CEGEP is a sort of community college but in Quebec everyone graduates at 17 so you have to go to CEGEP for two years before going onto university if you want to go to university. Otherwise, you can do a career program there for 3 years. 
> 
> I have started a very self-indulgent Korrasami Fast & Furious AU that can be read [here](https://archiveofourown.org/works/29362371/chapters/72127344) if you'd like. 
> 
> I'm still on Tumblr [@ambykinns ](https://ambykinns.tumblr.com/)


	11. terms and conditions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When something unexpected happens Sokka worries about the terms and conditions of the contract he signed while Azula tries to get to the bottom of what is bugging Zuko.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always thanks everyone for your kind words, kudos and just for reading :)

When Sokka awoke the next morning it was to the sensation of being moved. He was confused, his sleep-filled brain not understanding what was happening but one moment he was laying on something firm and warm and the next his body was against the less warm and considerably less firm surface of the mattress. 

At once his mind seemed to catch up to what was happening and he realized that he must have been laying on Zuko. Not wanting to make the situation more awkward than it needed to be, he decided to stay where he was until he heard the bathroom door click shut. At that point he allowed himself to open his eyes and let out a sigh. 

He'd told Zuko that sleeping in the same bed wouldn't be a problem with the sheet trick but it seemed that despite said trick, he'd still gone ahead and cuddled up with him while he was asleep, likely making Zuko very uncomfortable. If he brought it up tonight or tried to say anything about it he felt like he'd be only serving to make Zuko more uncomfortable having to talk about it. If he suddenly tried to sleep somewhere else it'd also mean that he'd noticed what had happened and then what was going to happen?

Trying not to overthink this, he buried his face into the pillow and decided that he was just going to wait to see if Zuko brought it up tonight. Then he'd know if it was a problem or if maybe Zuko didn't mind... or maybe that was just going to be wishful thinking and he would actually mind but be too uncomfortable to say so to Sokka. 

Letting out a groan into the plush fabric, Sokka had a feeling that he wasn't going to be sleeping any further this morning. 

It turned out that he was right, try as he might to fall back asleep before his alarm went off it was no use. He pretended to be asleep when Zuko came back into the room briefly before disappearing to his home gym for the morning. 

Sokka had to be up earlier today anyway because he wanted to get Varrick to school early so that he could have a talk with Madam Tremblay and the way that she'd spoken to Varrick last week. 

What he planned on saying to the woman was enough to take his mind off of the worrying that he had somehow forced Zuko into a bed sharing situation that he was actually very uncomfortable with. He woke up Varrick earlier than usual too and told him that he'd have to get ready so that they could leave earlier today. 

"Are you gonna talk to Madam Tremblay?" Wide eyes looked up at him in curiosity. 

"That's the plan," he nodded. 

"Good," Varrick smiled and hopped straight out of bed to get himself ready for the school day. 

Giving Varrick's hair a light ruffle, Sokka made his way downstairs where he was unsurprised to see Zuko already seated at the table with a cup of tea and Piandao in his usual seat as well. 

"Sokka, you're up earlier than usual," Piandao commented, a touch surprised to see him enter. 

"Going to the school early so that I can have a few words with Varrick's teacher about what happened on Friday," he explained. "So we've got to leave a little earlier than usual." 

Piandao nodded as Zuko offered a smile. "I'm sure you'll talk some sense into her."

"She best hope that I do," he answered shortly and then made his way over to the kitchen so that he could get breakfast for himself and Varrick. 

"I'm so excited cause it's the last week of school before break," Varrick was saying when he reentered the dining room with the food for the both of them. 

"The last week is always the hardest to get through," Zuko pointed out with a smile. 

"But I can do it and plus, the teachers always go easier on us before break!" 

"Even adults like their breaks," Piandao added. 

"Exactly," Varrick grinned, taking his breakfast from his dad with a word of thanks. 

On another morning, they might have had time to sit around and just talk at ease but with the matter of Madam Tremblay on the mind, Sokka was clearing their things much sooner so that he'd have plenty of time no matter how the conversation unfolded. When he leaned in to give Zuko the normal parting on the cheek kiss he spoke teasingly. "Gonna wish me luck?" 

Zuko, on instinct, it seemed had turned his head to look at Sokka as he spoke and what happened next seemed to happen in a slower motion. Or at least, Sokka could see what was going to happen before it actually did and it was too late to stop it. Now, instead of his lips colliding with Zuko's cheek like normal, they were straight on the path to meet the other man's. 

And meet they did. It was just a peck and so it shouldn't have been any different from the brushes of his lips against Zuko's cheek but somehow it was. 

Zuko's eyes widened and Sokka was suddenly panicking about two different things at once. 

One, he was kissing Zuko (if a peck counted as kissing at all). 

Two, Zuko was not being very chill about it at all and Piandao was not going to buy the fact that they were a married couple if the other man couldn't handle a brief peck on the lips. 

They were going to get blown by a simple mistake. 

Sokka couldn't let that happen. He needed to do something and he needed to do something fast. 

So, in order to hide Zuko's face from the rest of the table, he hastily raised one of his hands to cup the visible side of his face. The scarred one, Sokka noticed and so he kept his touch as gentle as possible on the skin lest it be sensitive and decided just to play into the part more so that if Zuko happened to look a touch out of it when he pulled away it would just seem that he was in awe of Sokka's amazing kissing skills. 

He let himself kiss Zuko in earnest, moving his lips against the other man's with purpose. 

Perhaps he'd been wanting to do this more than he realized because there was a sense of relief in actually getting to do so. A warmth and thrill that went through him as he felt Zuko's warm mouth under his own. His lips were warm and soft and, oh, he was kissing Sokka back. 

That wasn't something that he'd expected to happen. He'd sort of just expected Zuko to stay frozen, but it was so much better that he hadn't. 

The way that Zuko's lips moved against his, with just the right amount of pressure and speed and the faint taste of the tea that he'd been drinking on his breath was actually nice. It made Sokka want to draw him in, kiss him deeper and...

"Oh, gross," Izumi's voice cut through everything and brought Sokka crashing back down to reality. 

Cheeks warming, he hastily pulled away and glanced toward Varrick to see what his reaction was but Varrick had stolen Zuko's tea and was finishing off the cup, seemingly without a care in the world. 

Piandao appeared to be carefully focusing on his phone but when he glanced in their direction Sokka thought that he had something in his expression that hinted toward surprise. 

Izumi was wearing a mildly disgusted expression but Sokka couldn't tell if she was actually upset or not. Either way, he took this as his cue to get going. 

Very purposefully, he did not look at Zuko as he gestured to Varrick. "Well, have a good day at work sweetie," he said airly, then hurried out of the room as quickly as possible. 

\--

Zuko was barely aware that he probably looked like an idiot, staring after Sokka as he left but he certainly had not expected the kiss that they'd just shared. 

Logically, he knew that it was just a part of the cover. One that he'd made necessary when he'd stared at Sokka as if he'd just done something shocking when their lips had met in probably the barest of pecks and Sokka, brilliant Sokka, realized that they'd need a cover so that Piandao wasn't questioning why Zuko couldn't handle a simple peck on the lips. 

Thinking without logic though... he wondered if he was just imagining it but it had seemed that Sokka had actually wanted to kiss him. That there was something to the way that the other man's lips had felt against his own that spoke to an attraction. 

Idly, he reached for his tea to drink while he replayed the feeling of Sokka's lips moving against his own. Where his mug was supposed to be, however, he came into contact with nothing but table. With a frown, he actually looked and saw that the mug was now empty and in front of Varrick's seat. 

"Ah, yes, Varrick took advantage of your.. distraction to empty your cup," Piandao gave the answer to the unspoken question, a hint of amusement present in his voice. 

"Speaking of distractions, maybe could you not do that at the table where everyone is having to eat?" Izumi asked, raising an eyebrow. 

Zuko flushed and stood up. "I'm going to go make some more tea," he said and went into the kitchen where he could sink against a counter in peace. 

He was being silly and he knew it. There was no way that Sokka had meant anything by the kiss other than having to think quickly to keep their cover from being blown. If he had felt his heart flutter in his chest when they'd been kissing it was his own fault. If the world had seemed to fall away until he'd forgotten that they even had an audience because all he could think about was Sokka and his lips and the taste of the citrus from the orange on his breath... 

Shit. He was in so deep and this was not going to help. 

Throughout the first part of his day he stayed in a bit of a daze, thinking about what it meant and how nice it had been to kiss Sokka. Thinking about what it would be like to do it again, to run his fingers through the other man's dark hair this time. Maybe even get to run his hands along those shoulders and down his chest... 

Nope, that was a dangerous train of thought and Azula effectively cut it off by stopping on his foot under the table. 

Looking up quickly he realized that he was being looked at by everyone in the room. Unsure of what was being asked of him he was bailed out by the tap of Azula's pen against her paper where she had written out the statement that was expecting a response. 

Luckily, it wasn't expecting much out of him and he gave the answer that allowed the conversations to continue. 

By the time that they were breaking for lunch, he wasn't even able to exit the room before Azula had grabbed onto his hand and pulled him off to her own office. Zuko didn't bother trying to fight because he knew his sister and he knew that he wasn't going to be able to stop her until she had the answers she wanted.

After all but slamming the door behind them as they entered, she turned to him with a glare. "Okay, spill, what is going on with you?"

"What do you mean?" he asked, trying to put as much innocence into his tone as he could.

It was a bad idea to try and bluff Azula. He knew that because it never worked and yet, he had to try anyway. Maybe it was just delaying the inevitable but he wasn't going to go give in so easily.

She gave him an even darker look as she snapped, "I'm not an idiot, Zuzu. Now tell me what happened or I'll be forced to resort to drastic measures."

As much as he didn't want to talk about Sokka with Azula, he wanted her to try to force anything out of him even less. She wasn’t above trying to fight dirty and he had years of such instances burned into his brain. "It's Sokka," he admitted with a great deal of reluctance. 

Her eyes sharpened and she straightened taller. "Did he do something to you? I will kill him." 

"What? No!" he said hurriedly, holding out a calming hand toward his sister. "I mean.. kinda but nothing bad!" 

Her eyes were still narrowed in suspicion but she did relax a bit. "Get to the point."

"He kissed me this morning before he left," he admitted his face warming at the confession. 

Azula stared at him for a long minute and then she brought her hand up to rub at her temple. "That's it? You're supposed to be married, a kiss is bound to happen."

Now Zuko felt a bit betrayed. This was another part of the reason he hadn't wanted to talk to her about this because she was the least empathetic person that he knew. 

Perhaps he was being unfair, he knew that she tried, but there seemed to be a disconnect in many ways that he simply couldn't fully understand. Even so, when she sensed that it was important she did her best. This did not seem to be one of those times though. 

"Okay well it hadn't happened until this morning and I wasn't exactly expecting it," he huffed. 

Azula's eyes narrowed again in suspicion. "Did he take advantage of you?" 

"No, Azula. It was sort of an accident. Well, the peck on the lips was an accident and then... I sort of reacted in surprise and he covered by just continuing to kiss me." 

His face was growing warmer as he remembered how he'd froze just from the simplest brush of Sokka's lips against his own and how he'd been unable to keep himself from kissing back as soon as he had the opportunity to do so. 

But then, Sokka had left without even so much of a glance back at him. So he really was just saving them from being found out, it was just something that he'd had to do because Zuko was such a terrible actor. 

Azula stared at him for another long moment and then closed her eyes slowly as if something was paining her. "You are falling for your fake husband." It wasn't a question. It was a statement of a fact.

"Wh- what? No, I'm not!" 

A thin eyebrow shot up but Azula didn't say anything else. 

Zuko's heart pounded in his chest and he suddenly felt very aware of the fact that he still was warm from imagining kissing Sokka. So what if he had enjoyed kissing him? So what if he had enjoyed waking up every morning with the other man to find that they'd always managed to tangle themselves together? So what if he enjoyed listening to Sokka talk? So what if Sokka's laugh was quickly becoming one of his favorite sounds in the...

 _Oh_.

Oh, no. 

With widened eyes, he looked at Azula in a new sense of panic. 

"There we go," she said encouragingly.

"This is bad." 

"In what universe?" 

"This one! What am I supposed to do?" His breath was starting to come quickly as he realized that he was going to have to go back to the house tonight and be alone with Sokka.

"Okay, take some deep breaths," Azula cautioned, moving over to him and speaking in a slightly softer voice. "It's nothing to panic over. Literally, you've just got to get through the rest of the week together and then you can ask him out for real."

It was easy for her to say that he should be calm. She wasn't the one that was in this position. "He's gonna know that something is up!" His breathing was picking up more. "And he doesn't feel the same way at all. He practically ran out of the house after kissing me this morning and I just have to go back and share a bed with him now?" 

Now his sister grabbed a hold of his hands, squeezing them tightly. The pain worked to somewhat ground him back to the moment. "In for four seconds, hold for seven, out for eight." 

With some difficulty, he listened to Azula and matched the breathing that she was demonstrating for a few patterns until it came back down to normal. 

"What you need to do, is get through the rest of this week and then you can sort out everything with Sokka later," Azula explained after a pause. "I know that you're a terrible actor but just try to pretend that the kiss was just the same as all the other hand holding and stuff that you're doing and don't read into it."

"How am I supposed to not read into it?"

Azula's patience was a little thinner as it always tended to be after a few minutes of genuine care. "By not thinking about it! We're so close to getting this taken care of Zuko. You can stand a few more days of playing house with Sokka without over-analyzing everything." 

With a deep sigh, Zuko bowed his head and told himself that it was only five more days. Only five more days. He could get through five days without losing it. "Fine." 

\--

Sokka managed not to think about Zuko until after he had met with Madam Tremblay. He could really devote all of his focus to one thing if he put all of his mind to it and he'd decided to do just that for the entire drive to Varrick's school. Given that his son hadn't said anything about what had happened this morning, it made things all the easier. 

Once the meeting was over though (as unhelpful as it had been) and Sokka had set up a meeting to speak to the principal after the winter break it was harder to keep his focus singularly toward his anger at the unjust treatment of his son and the poor Quebec education system. He'd have plenty of time to think about that before the next meeting and without an immediate project to worry about it, it was harder to keep his mind from circling back around to Zuko. 

Desprite to gain a bit more time before he had to start worrying all over again, he made a call to Katara to talk about what had happened and to ask for her help in order to prepare for the meeting that he'd have with the principal. 

As expected, her passion and righteous anger did manage to take his mind off of Zuko for the duration of the call until Katara said that she had to go and start getting ready for her shift. 

Then there was nothing to stop his mind from playing back the kiss that he'd shared with Zuko and feeling a confusing mess of things about it. 

On one hand, he'd already been cuddling Zuko in the night and presumably making him quite uncomfortable ever single time. And now he'd gone ahead and just kissed him more than he needed to in order to sell the story that they were a married couple. Zuko was probably going to want to take out a restraining order against him after all this was over. 

On the other hand, Zuko hadn't had to kiss him back. Especially not like that either. Not like he'd been wanting to kiss Sokka for a while now and was so glad to finally have the chance. 

But maybe that was just Zuko being a good actor. 

No, no... not even he could buy that. The reason they'd gotten into that mess in the first place was that Zuko was a spirits awful actor. 

Still... it was probably just a natural reaction. He didn't think that he was alone in thinking that the two of them had developed some chemistry with one another and Zuko was probably just playing into it the same way he had if it was any man that had kissed him. 

Yeah, that was it. 

Sokka tried not to dwell on the way that his heart seemed to sink to his stomach as he considered this to be the case. 

Not wanting to go back to Zuko's place, he decided to go back to his own house and try to get Varrick's things sorted out so that he wouldn't have to do so after they returned from up north. It was a task to do at the very least, keeping his mind off of Zuko and how uncomfortable it was going to be when he finally returned back to the house tonight and he'd have to face Zuko. 

He'd been there for a few hours when his phone rang. A glance at the screen told him it was Suki. He wasn't sure if he wanted to talk to her at the moment but upon watching the phone ring for a minute he picked it up. "Hello?"

"Hey, took you long enough to answer. I was starting to think you'd died somewhere in that big mansion and we'd have to send a search party in to find the body," Suki joked immediately. "I'm off for lunch, want to come and meet me?" 

"I'm at home right now, trying to Varrick's stuff sorted out," he answered, knowing he wouldn't have time to go and meet her and get something to eat before her lunch break was over. 

"Oh boo." There was a genuine sigh of disappointment. "Well, I guess we can talk and I'll grab something by myself then. How goes the water damage?"

"I'll have to get rid of this mattress for sure." It was a bummer as it hadn't been that old at all. "The clothes should be fine after a run or two through the wash. Lots of book casualties though."

"Guess it's a good thing you're getting that extra money for playing house husband." 

There it was. Impossible to get through this without mentioning Zuko. "It'll come in handy," he agreed after a brief pause. 

Immediately Suki was suspicious. "What was that about?" 

"What?"

"The pause. The 'I'm keeping something from Suki pause'." 

When he didn't say anything back she let the silence drag, waiting for him to break it. It was an old tactic and one that always worked because Sokka couldn't stand long silences. 

"Dammit Suki," he swore. The thing was he wanted to talk to someone anyway and there was no one better than Suki for doing just that. The words came tumbling out in a rapid flow. "Fine. Due to a series of circumstances I had to actually kiss Zuko today after I woke up this morning finding that I've apparently been cuddling up with him at night despite the sheet trick which I really thought was going to work. So now I've been cuddling and kissing the guy and it's all fake, but I don't want it to be all fake because kissing him was really nice and I wake up really well-rested and comfortable when we sleep together. I thought it was just his very fancy and expensive bed but now I'm starting to think it's just because I'm sleeping with him and cuddling together because you know I've always been a very tactile person. And now I don't know how to go back to the house tonight and act like I don't want to do any of that stuff."

Sokka felt a bit better now that he'd gotten it all out there. 

Suki didn't speak immediately, apparently taking in everything that had been laid out to her but then, "Oh I so knew that there'd be something between the two of you before the end of all this."

"What do you mean something between us? I'm the one that's like throwing myself at Zuko. The poor man is just trying to get an investment in his company and I'm just something that he has to play along with." 

Instead of responding to this, Suki asked a question. "Did Zuko kiss you back?" 

"Why does that matter?" He wished it did but he knew better. 

"Just answer the question."

"Well yeah," Sokka answered slowly before adding, "Because it's part of the act."

"Did he tell you that?" Suki was using the voice she used when Varrick had been younger and she was trying to guide him to an answer. 

"Yes, because we had a full conversation right in front of the guy we're lying to about how great we're doing at lying to him," he answered sarcastically, not appreciating Suki's tone. 

"You absolute dumbass." Somehow she managed to add affection to the words. "Okay before you go absolutely insane, consider this... just talk to him."

Sokka wasn't sure that he could really be talking to Zuko about all of this. For one thing, he was his boss and for another, he was... also his boss? Temp boss? His real boss and his temp boss? 

Now he wasn't sure exactly what position of power that Zuko held in this situation but he was very sure that it was at a very high advantage over Sokka and he was now even more concerned about the implications of just kissing the man like that. "Am I going to get into jail about this?" he wondered aloud. 

"Are you going to- Did you listen to a word I said at all?" Suki asked in exasperation. 

"Yes! But then I was thinking about how Zuko is my boss normally and now he's hired me for an additional project and I've, like, sexually assaulted him now." That was definitely illegal, but if Zuko was the one in the position of power in this case wasn't he typically the one who wasn't allowed to do anything with Sokka? 

"Oh for fuck's sake. Pull out that stupid contract you signed, I thought there was something in there about physical contact, you said."

"I don't have it with me! It's back at Zuko's place."

"Well then read it when you get back but I'm sure that you will not be jailed for kissing your fake husband when he asked you to pretend to be his fake husband and he kissed you back," Suki sighed. "Honestly Sokka, you're in danger of overthinking all of this. Just talk to the man. I beg of you."

"Suki, no offense, but I don't think that it's that simple. This is a very complex situation," Sokka sighed, taking out his hair from its usual wolf tail and running a hand through it. "And I really don't want to make him uncomfortable."

"Sokka, if you don't talk about it, it will only get worse," Suki promised. "Please, please, talk to him about it tonight."

It didn't seem like it was the right thing to do, but he decided to give Suki the benefit of the doubt. "Fine, I'll talk to him tonight." 

'You'd better because I will be calling you to make sure that you did." 

She would follow through on that, he knew it too. 

"Alright, I've got it. I'll read the contract and then I'll talk to him." The contract reading was first. He had to make sure that he wasn't going to get sued at the end of all of this. 

And then once legally was clear he'd have to check that morally he was. The thought that maybe he'd made Zuko feel used or taken advantage of sunk deeper into him, making him feel fidgety. He needed to talk to him as soon as possible to make sure it hadn't happened like that. 

\-- 

The rest of the afternoon Zuko managed to, at least, give the semblance of full attention at the meeting that he was in with Piandao's team trying to get the details nailed down. Azula didn't need to draw him out of his mind at any point and there were no embarrassing repeats of the morning. 

"I think I'll come for dinner tonight," Azula commented casually when they'd called it quits for the day. 

Zuko knew why she'd be coming, to make sure that he didn't make things too awkward with Sokka that Piandao had questions. She'd be able to even things out a bit and if need be direct his attention elsewhere. He felt grateful for his sister and her determination. For all that she could be rough edges, she was a very steady bedrock. 

The ride back home with Piandao was silent save for the radio but he was talking to his husband on the phone so Zuko didn't have to feel weird about the lack of conversation between the two of them. 

As usual, they made it back before Sokka and Varrick and Zuko found himself wondering about how things had gone with Varrick's teacher that morning. He'd sort of been expecting that Sokka would have texted him an update about it at some point during the day but nothing had come and so Zuko considered that it was even more proof that Sokka just did not want to talk to him right now after being practically forced to kiss him so that their whole charade hadn't been ruined. 

He had, however, gotten several texts from Izumi during what was her lunch period letting him know that she didn't care if he wanted to be involved with Sokka but that she never wanted to see them kissing again. Zuko had told her that she didn't have to worry about it. 

It wasn't like Sokka would ever want to kiss him again anyway. 

With Azula by his side, when Sokka did return it wasn't like he was able to talk to him. So things were actually somewhat normal. Despite the fact that he could feel Sokka looking at him more than usual when he was sitting on the couch next to him while Azula kept a steady flow of conversation going. 

At some point, finally seemed to give up and then went to the kitchen, presumably to talk to Ty Lee which Zuko still wished that he wouldn't but he didn't really have anything else that he could say at this point. 

Sokka didn't return until dinner was actually being served, which he helped serve before taking a seat. There was an awkward silence at the table for a moment where no one spoke, not even little Varrick. 

"Did you get everything sorted out with Varrick's teacher today?" Zuko asked, figuring that he had waited long enough to find out and that there was nothing that could get awkward in this conversation. 

"Not exactly," Sokka grumbled, taking a drink out of his glass before continuing. "We have different ideas about what it means to respect someone and how much liberty teachers can take in the materials that they're teaching."

"Translation: she was a bitch," Azula threw in. 

"Not in front of Varrick," Zuko chided, looking at the boy who seemed delighted in Azula's swearing. 

Azula turned her attention at Varrick and fixed him with a stern look. "Just because I swear doesn't mean you're allowed to. I'm an adult." 

"Anyway," Sokka continued as if nobody had said anything. "I got something set up with the principal but it won't be until after break." 

"That's really disappointing," Zuko said, throwing a comforting look toward Sokka. "Hopefully things will get sorted out then."

"But I'll never get back the recess that I missed," Varrick sighed, somewhat dramatically. "I know Aunt Katara would say the good of all is the point but I still wish I'd get some good too."

"I'm sure your dad can find a way to make it up to you," Izumi suggested, throwing a look toward Sokka. 

For his part, Sokka looked slightly startled at the fact that Izumi seemed to be picking on him. Zuko was certain it was payback for the kissing earlier today. 

Azula jumped in with her support of the idea. "Exactly. He'll make it up to you." 

Varrick brightened at this and grinned toward his dad. "Thanks, dad!"

Still looking like he'd ended up in the middle of a hockey game with no clue how he'd gotten there, Sokka looked between Azula, Izumi, and Varrick before sighing and shaking his head. "I guess I will." 

Dinner went on with everyone trying to give suggestions on just how Sokka could make it up to Varrick that he'd missed one recess with Azula throwing in more and more ridiculous ideas until Sokka told her that she wasn't allowed to speak anymore. That led to a bought of bickering that lasted even past the meal into the game of Sorry that Zuko sat out so that the four of them (Izumi, Varrick, Sokka, and Azula) could play together. 

Everyone teamed up against Sokka, who was very offended and getting pretty flustered every time he got sent back to his start space by Azula and Izumi. 

It made Zuko's heart feel strange seeing Sokka interact with his family this way and he knew that he couldn't stay and watch it because he was already in too deep. Far too deep. 

So, he turned and made his way upstairs under the guise of getting some work done. 

\--

If Zuko had looked back he might have seen Sokka's eyes following him out of the room. His attention couldn't stay on Zuko for long (was he so upset with Sokka that he really couldn't even stand being in the same room with him?) though because as he was watching him leave he heard Varrick loudly exclaim, "Sorry!" 

Looking back to the board he saw that his blue piece was being sent back to start and he groaned as everyone else laughed. 

The game continued for longer with Sokka never managing to make any pieces get into his home area because he kept getting sent back to start or traded spaces. In the end, Azula won but everyone had seemed to have fun so that was what mattered. 

She then drew Varrick into a conversation about what he was going to do when he visited his grandparents which left Sokka at his side until Azula was ready to head home for the night and by then it was almost time for Varrick to go to sleep and Sokka realized that he hadn't seen Zuko since he'd left amongst the game playing. 

He hadn't gotten a chance to look over the contract either to make sure that he hadn't done anything wrong, but he figured that if he had Azula probably would have let him know. Likely by threatening to kill him or telling him straight away that she was going to sue him. 

Though that operated under the assumption that Zuko would have told Azula what happened... 

Sokka felt unsure if he actually would have. Either way, he realized with a jolt that as he took Varrick up to bed it was less than ten minutes until he'd be alone with Zuko and he was going to listen to Suki and just talk to him about what had happened. It was difficult to push his nerves aside as he said his goodnights to Varrick and put him to bed.

His stomach was a mess as he climbed the stairs that would end up in the top floor where the room he shared with Zuko was. His heart pounded in his chest as he got closer to the door and he forced himself to take in a deep breath before he entered the room. 

It was empty. 

Zuko wasn't there. Possibly he was in his office. Was it right of him to go and interrupt him if he was working? 

This was important. But was it more important than Zuko's work? 

No, probably not. 

With a sigh, he sat down onto the bed and decided to wait for Zuko. 

Two minutes turned to five, which turned to ten, and then twenty. 

Sokka got up, found the contract and read through it. Under a subsection of expected behavior, it mentioned that certain displays of affection such as kissing and hand-holding might be expected. 

At least he wasn't going to get sued. 

The moral implications continued to weigh on him. Had he done something that Zuko was unhappy with? Had he taken advantage of the situation to do something that he'd been wanting to do anyway? Could Zuko tell that he'd perhaps enjoyed the kissing more than he should have? Was that why he still wasn't coming into bed? 

Another twenty minutes passed. Then another. 

Sokka's eyes started to get heavy but he didn't change, afraid that if he got into his pajamas he would fall asleep without getting to speak to Zuko. He took out his phone and tried to pass the time. Tried to keep himself awake and not go storming into Zuko's office to apologize profusely for everything. 

What was he going to do if Zuko just hid out in his office for the rest of the night? Was he going to have to interrupt him? 

An unknown amount of time passed and Sokka was dozing in and out of sleep by the time that Zuko actually did come into the room. 

"Sokka? What are you doing? You're practically asleep sitting up," Zuko said with a frown. 

"I was waiting for you," he answered, yawning and getting to his feet. He wanted to move closer but as he went to take a step he stopped himself. Truthfully he wasn't sure that he could trust himself not to do something stupid if he got close to Zuko right now. "About this morning..."

"Stop," Zuko interrupted, cutting him off. "You don't have to say anything." 

Sokka swallowed hard, looking at the other man who seemed to be as tired as he felt. He wasn't looking Sokka in the eyes and it made him feel even worse. Wow, he had messed things up so badly that Zuko didn't even want to look at him. 

"I just wanted to-"

"Sokka, it's really not necessary. I understand, don't worry," Zuko said quickly and then met his eyes, giving the weakest of smiles. 

Right. 

He gave a nod. "Okay. I guess I'm going to go and shower then if you don't need to use the bathroom."

"Go ahead," Zuko waved him, turning to head to his closet. 

Sokka watched him for a moment in silence and then turned to head into the shower. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Silently adds miscommunication tag and walks out*


End file.
